A Maid in the Devil's Manor

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to JKR. All situations are mine. No $$$ is being made from this fanfic.
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Chapter 15 ~ Hermione Needs to Unwind

Hermione unlocked and unwarded the door to her flat, pushed it open and walked through. The Professor followed her, his black eyes glued to the witch’s back. Hermione stopped in the middle of the room and surveyed it.

“Most of the furniture came with the flat, so I won’t have to worry about getting rid of it,” she said absently. “I can sell my bed I guess, and put my lab equipment in the new facility.”

Severus said nothing as the witch slowly walked through the flat, making decisions on how to best handle the eviction. She had not yet said anything about where she would go.

Hermione walked over to her desk and pulled out the large, flat central drawer. She took out a box, set it on top of the desk, opened it and took out a couple of parchments. She looked at them, frowning slightly. Severus was curious.

“What is that you are reading, Miss Granger?” he asked, his eyes on the box curiously.

“Oh, these are resumes. I’m going to bring them back to the Manor and update them. If the Ministry does fire me, I want to find work as soon as possible,” she replied, her eyes still on the parchments.

“I see,” Severus said shortly. She certainly believed in being prepared.

Hermione walked back into her bedroom. Severus simply stood in the middle of her flat, waiting. He was overjoyed at this new development, but Miss Granger’s reaction was sobering. She was slowly losing everything, and he knew how it felt to be punished unfairly and didn’t gloat. It was a painful thing. But soon she would be immersed in her work, and he knew nothing made her happier than to be working on some difficult, challenging project. These gray skies would blow over, once she was securely domiciled in the Manor.

Hermione looked around her messy bedroom. Her eyes fell on her orange stuffed kneazle, named Crookshanks the Second, after her pet and familiar, who had died some years ago. She picked it up, looked at it a moment, then pressed it to her chest for comfort. She was in a fix now. Ron and Harry had families, she couldn’t impose on them, though either one of the wizards would welcome her. And she couldn’t do Ginny. The witch was too wild, and the constant traffic of wizards coming and going would be a distraction. She had spent the night over the witch’s house once and while she was sleeping, her room had been entered by a good-looking young wizard who was a bit tipsy and thought he was in Ginny’s room. He had fell on Hermione and started kissing her awake. It was a rather pleasant awakening, until Hermione realized she wasn’t dreaming and dumped the wizard on the floor, turning on the light.

Luckily for him, he was just as startled as she was. That was the only thing that kept Hermione from hexing him off the face of the planet. He apologized profusely as he backed out of the room, his blue eyes looking at her rather hotly just the same. She had been responding to his kisses and caresses until she woke. Hermione also felt the heat, but that was Ginny’s boy toy, so the witch fell back into bed, brought herself to a quick orgasm and went back to sleep. That was the last time she slept at Ginny’s.

Hermione looked around her bedroom. There really wasn’t anything here she wanted to take with her besides Crookshanks. So she left the bedroom and returned to the living room, to find the Professor waiting for her. He was looking at her with those black eyes intently, and there was a slightly worried look in their depths. She wondered if he felt any urge to comfort her. The way she felt, she could use some intense, mind-blowing comfort, the kind that would take her away from this reality. She sighed. That was a really stupid thought. A pity fuck by her snarky ex-professor. Severus’ eyes widened.

He had been in her mind when that errant thought crossed it. He couldn’t resist trying to see what she was feeling at the moment, and since she was so emotional, he felt she would be too preoccupied to feel him, and had been right. He was such an accomplished Legilimens, he didn’t have to be directly in front of her to read her thoughts and memories, only in her vicinity. He blinked at her. Miss Granger had been idly wishing she could have a good round of sex to temporarily remove her from this situation. So the witch used sex as a release too. That was interesting. The realization that she momentarily considered him to provide her with that release caused a very physical reaction in the Potions Master. He was glad his cock was well positioned beneath his robes, so his slight erection didn’t show. He knew he was just a passing thought on her part because he was the only male present. It wasn’t a desire for him, per se. A pity fuck. Is that what she called it?

“Stop it, Severus,” he thought to himself. It would be a truly beastly act to take advantage of Miss Granger in that way when she was in the process of losing everything she worked so hard to maintain. His focus must be on getting her situated properly to do her best work. He had to remember that. The brothel was definitely on his to-do-list. Maybe tonight. His eyes dropped to an orange fuzzy something Hermione had clutched to her chest.

“Miss Granger, what is that you’re holding?” he asked her, cocking his head.

Hermione held up the large, fuzzy stuffed animal and turned it towards him. The Potions Master looked at the staring gold eyes, stiff whiskers and cute little feline face.

“It’s Crookshanks the second,” she replied, looking like a little girl.

“That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen. You’re a grown witch, Miss Granger. Surely you don’t cuddle up with stuffed toys,” Severus said, scowling

“At least I cuddle up with something,” Hermione retorted, clutching Crookshanks to her, and looking at the Potions Master blackly. “Anyway, I’m bringing him back to the Manor to sleep with me tonight.”

Severus was about to say something very snarky when he caught himself, realizing that Miss Granger intended on spending the night at the Manor again. If that stuffed monstrosity would make her stay easier, then she could clutch it for comfort all she liked.

“That’s fine, Miss Granger,” he said shortly. Hermione walked over to her desk and picked up her box of resumes.

“I’m ready to go,” she said.

The Potions Master nodded.

This time they apparated separately.

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Severus escorted Hermione to her rooms, and spent the next couple of hours changing the magical settings on the wall to a simpler ward so she could enter and exit the lower rooms at will. This was easier said than done, and it took a lot of work to reset the wall. It had been created to hide Voldemort and was quite a powerful spell. But, Severus managed to do it, and Hermione was delighted.

They had a quiet early supper in Hermione’s study, Severus telling her of some of the latest Potions advances, and Hermione half-listening, but comforted by the sound of his voice. When the Professor wasn’t being a bastard, he was pleasant enough company. If she hadn’t been preoccupied with her situation, she would have been riveted by his commentary. It had been so long since she was gifted with the company of someone who was her intellectual equal or above. She looked at him as he pontificated, and smiled. Like this, he wasn’t so bad at all.

Finally, Severus quieted. He was trying to figure out how to delicately extricate himself from Hermione’s presence so he could visit Knockturn Alley and relieve himself at the local brothel. Then the witch said something that peaked his interest.

“Professor, I’ve had such a long, terrible day. Rita’s column, the stares of the witches and wizards in Hogsmeade, the realization I may lose my job Monday and being evicted from my flat. I just want to tie one on,” Hermione said.

“Tie one on?” the Professor repeated, raising his eyebrows at the petite witch in front of him.

“Yes, tie one on. Get blasted. Get drunk,” she said. Then she looked at him a bit defiantly. “I bet you never dreamed that Hogwarts’ goody-two-shoes ‘golden girl’ liked to get good and toasted once in a while, did you Professor? Well, I do. Particularly when I’m stressed out. It doesn’t happen often, but it happens. Do you care to join me? If not, I’m fully capable of handling it on my own.”

Severus looked at her. From previous experience he knew the young witch held her drink well. And he knew she was under a lot of strain too. Who wouldn’t be considering the circumstances? Well, he could spend a couple of hours indulging her before leaving for Knockturn Alley. She might even fall asleep before he left, and that would remove the necessity for awkward excuses.

“Miss Granger, what kind of host would I be if I abandoned you in your time of need?” he said smoothly. “What’s your pleasure?”

“I think brandy. Or Cognac. Something smooth,” she replied. “And I need a glass of milk.”

Severus nodded. Instead of bellowing for Eli, he stood, wrapped his robes around him and apparated to his study. He was the only person who could apparate inside of Snape Manor. He walked over to his liquor cabinet and removed several bottles. He was looking for a special bottle of Cognac. He found it. Picking up two glasses he apparated to the kitchens, startling the house elves. They ran up to him, bowing.

“What can we do for you, Master?” they squeaked, surprised to see Severus gracing the kitchens with his presence. It was spotless. The elves certainly weren’t slackers.

Severus walked over to the huge cooler, opened it and took out a liter of milk. He looked at the elves, who were totally aghast that their Lord and Master lowered himself to actually retrieve something from the cooler. The looks on their faces were so mortified, that Severus snorted back laughter.

“I simply came for some milk. Please go about your work. I’m fine,” he said, apparating back to Hermione’s study, leaving the flabbergasted elves behind.

He found the witch sitting there, staring at her hands a bit morosely. She looked up at the crack of his reappearance, which always followed shortly after a wizard actually appeared. The crack that followed apparation was somewhat like a sonic boom in operation. She looked at the bottles in his hands.

“What is all that?” she asked.

“Cognac and milk,” the Potions Master replied, setting the bottles and glasses on the table before her. He conjured a tall glass for the milk and sat down. Hermione poured herself a tall glass of milk and drank it straight down. Severus looked at her curiously.

“Milk. It coats the stomach,” Hermione said, pushing the tall glass aside.

Severus uncorked the bottle and poured them both a generous amount of cognac.

“Did you know Miss Granger, that brandy is distilled wine?” he asked her as he poured. “Most of the water is removed, which changes the taste and makes the alcohol content higher. Then it is aged in oak casks for years to give it color and flavor.”

“No I didn’t. Interesting bit of trivia,” Hermione replied as he passed her the glass. She took a sip and sighed.

“I need this,” she said, settling back in her chair.

Severus also leaned back, thinking about his own needs. His black eyes swept over the witch before him, studying her not as a brilliant witch who could be the answer to his pain, but as a woman. Her eyes were beautiful, open and expressive. He could always tell her state by her eyes. He remembered when they went liquid for those few moments at breakfast, and how it had affected him. His eyes dropped to her lips. They were small, but very full. He imagined they were quite soft as well. She had a habit of pursing them when she was concentrating…

Hermione reached for the bottle, startling him slightly. She poured herself another drink. He was barely finished with his first. She took another drink, and looked at him levelly for a moment, then her eyes raked over him consideringly.

“Professor?” she said hesitatingly.

“Yes?” Severus answered her, not knowing why his chest suddenly felt constricted.

“How do you stand it? The loneliness?” she asked him. Her voice was so low, it was almost a whisper.

He looked at her.

“Teaching helps immensely, Miss Granger, as does being Head of House. My time is occupied and I do interact with others, so I do not become a total recluse. If I did not have Hogwarts, most likely I would be locked behind these walls for the rest of my days,” he said.

Hermione looked at him.

“No. I mean the loneliness, Professor. You have no one…to …to be with. No…well…no woman,” she said slowly. “How do you deal with that?”

Hermione knew this was quite an intimate question, and she had no business asking it, but it was on her mind. She had never backed away from asking questions about things she wanted to know. But also, she too was dealing with loneliness, and she thought she might have a good chance of ending up alone just as he was.

“That is a rather personal question, Miss Granger,” Severus said, looking her in her amber eyes. “Can you give me one good reason why I should answer it?”

Hermione met his gaze evenly, “I think you should answer it because I suspect, Professor, that I may wind up alone like you are, because of my love of knowledge. If I am to be in your place one day, I would like to know how you handle it. I haven’t had an inkling of a relationship in over a year, and I am only twenty-four. To be honest, I don’t see anything happening for me in the near future. How do you live without a woman in your life? If I know that, maybe I can better deal with not having a man in mine.”

Severus shook his head. Hermione certainly was a pessimistic young lady. Her end up like him? He highly doubted it. She wouldn’t be cursed with guilt. A damned soul. She only saw his being alone. That was the least of his problems.

“Have you found a way to…are you a practicing celibate?” she asked him, emboldened by the cognac.

Severus raised his eyebrows at her.

“Miss Granger, I assure you I am a red-blooded wizard and no celibate. Yes, I am alone, but I find ways to meet my needs…”

Hermione’s eyebrows went up now. He could tell what she was thinking.

“…other than self-gratification.” he said rather snappishly, put out by her thinking he laid around the Manor or dungeons wanking off. At least she had the grace to look embarrassed.

I…er… I didn’t mean to imply…” she began. Severus cut her off. She wanted to know? He’d tell her. It’s not as if he could be any lower in her eyes.

“There are brothels, Miss Granger. Where a woman will service even someone as dismal as me, for a price. When I strongly feel the need to have a woman, I go there and expunge that need. It is a fair substitute for a relationship, and less troublesome. I don’t have to court or cajole or seduce. I lay down my galleons and then I lay down with a woman of my choice. When I am sated, I leave, until the need comes again. Is that what you wanted to know, Miss Granger?” he asked, his eyes glittering.

Hermione poured herself another drink.

“Are there male prostitutes, Professor?” she asked him.

Severus was taken aback by this shocking question. He stared at the witch across from him, then took a large sip of his brandy. She couldn’t possibly be considering seeking out a gigolo, could she?

“Er…I don’t know, Miss Granger. I have never needed a male,” he replied awkwardly.

“But there may be some at the brothel, right?” she asked him.

“Possibly,” he responded. Then he said, “Miss Granger, you are a lovely young woman. You have no need to pay for a man’s services. It is not as difficult for a woman to find a willing partner as it is for a man. ..”

Hermione cut him off.

“Did it ever occur to you, Professor, that a woman might have needs but not want to be in a relationship? A woman can just want physical release without strings just as much as a man does,” she snapped, taking another large swallow of her brandy and setting the glass down hard on the table.

Severus didn’t reply. Hermione continued.

“Yes, I know I could go out to some bar and pick up a willing wizard, who’d gladly bring me to his flat and flip my heels in the air…but you know, Professor…a witch that does that is called a slut or whore or some other nasty name. The wizard gets a slap on the back. Then there would be the awkward meetings in public places, running across each other here and there. There is a price that comes with finding bed partners like that. But if I bought a man, then the worst name I could be is ‘client’ and the entire affair would be clandestine. Do you see where I’m going with this Professor?”

“To a brothel?” the Potions Master replied weakly, at a loss at Miss Granger’s frankness.

“Possibly,” she said, with a look in her eye that made him distinctly uncomfortable. He looked at the cognac bottle. She certainly was knocking them back. He wasn’t sure if Miss Granger was serious. She had been through a lot today. Maybe she was just letting off some steam. Would she really pay a man to take what probably any man would gladly sample for free? He looked at her. Her mind was working, and it definitely was not project-oriented.

Hermione looked at the Potions Master, and grinned inwardly. He looked completely flabbergasted. She guessed his image of the little Gryffindor princess was completely shattered now. Good. That goody-two-shoes image always bothered her anyway. As much trouble as she got in during her time at Hogwarts, it should never have been applied to her in the first place. She had been as good at finding trouble as anyone. Even her early aptitude creating new spells was the result of rampant rule breaking, teaching herself techniques that were forbidden to students. She sighed. She really did want to know how he dealt with his loneliness for the reasons she gave. But she didn’t want to admit to herself that there could be an even deeper, more disturbing reason.

“When do you think you will be visiting the brothel again, Professor?” she asked him bluntly.

Severus quailed. He certainly wasn’t going to tell her he planned to go tonight. Gods forbid she’d want to come with him.

“I don’t know, Miss Granger. It isn’t something I exactly plan,” he replied, distinctly uncomfortable. It was obvious he didn’t want to discuss this topic any more.

Hermione kept her face straight. She loved putting him out of sorts, especially concerning such a personal, intimate and taboo subject as paying for sex. She was finally getting him back for all those years of torture he put her through.

Severus suddenly bellowed for Eli, startling Hermione so much she spilled a little of her drink. The house elf appeared immediately. He looked from the Potions Master to Hermione with a tiny smirk on his scaly face.

“Yes, Master?” he asked.

“Bring us some finger foods to snack on,” Severus said.

“Yes, Master,” Eli replied, winking out.

Several minutes later Eli reappeared with a huge platter. It had cocktail franks, pigs-in-a-blanket, a large pile of tiny honey-covered drumsticks, baby carrots, and other cut vegetables, ranch dip, a few rolled cold cuts, some cubes of cheese and a dozen fresh oysters on the half-shell, with cups of horseradish and cocktail sauce on the side.

Severus shot a look at the elf, who deftly deposited the platter on the table. Hermione immediately grabbed a drumstick and ate it rather noisily.

“Will that be all, Master?” Eli said, grinning at his Lord.

“Yes,” Severus said, looking down at the oysters, then back at the elf rather suspiciously. “That will be all.”

Eli bowed low and disappeared.

“What is that damn elf up to?” Severus thought as Hermione helped herself to another drumstick.

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A/N: Wow. A lot went on in this chapter. Eli is something else. Now Severus is really suspicious of the elf. The Potions Master senses he is not the only one doing a bit of manipulation here. Hermione has just gone buck wild. Too much strain probably. Hm. Think she’ll engage the services of a male prostitute? Maybe Severus will offer his services for free. Lol. That would move the lemons along, wouldn’t it? Ha. In your dreams, folks…that would just be too easy. Need more tension. Heh heh. But stick with me. I promise when these two get together there will be no shy, retiring Hermione. She needs no lessons. Anyhoo, please review.