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Matters of the Heart	By : strawberryf1re Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 34556 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 6
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe (characters, settings, etc.) ŠJ.K. Rowling. No profits are made from this work.

Chapter List
- 18
- 19
- 20
Rating: M – inappropriate for readers under the age of 16; contains scenes of explicit sexuality and violence.

Disclaimer: Characters and settings ©J.K. Rowling

Matters of the Heart

K. Marie

Chapter 19

Several weeks had passed uneventfully as the school year resumed. Hermione worked nearly every evening with Severus, whether on her apprenticeship or Occlumency, and she spent nearly every night in his quarters with him. She had mastered sneaking from the dungeons to the Great Hall for breakfast, discovering the least-used pathways through the castle. She rarely ran into anyone in these halls, and when she did she was not questioned. Being Head Girl had many benefits, she came to find!

They had begun two of her four final projects. The Draught of Life, which would mature for another eight weeks before she could do anymore to it; and the Drink of Despair, which would require simmering over an open flame for six weeks before cooling for another four (Severus thought it worth mentioning that there is no exact method to brewing the Drink of Despair to date – the Dark Lord was thought to be the creator, though no one knew for certain, and many potioneers had been attempting to brew it themselves). The Drink of Despair would be Hermione's primary project for the end of the year, and together they would work on it, trying to perfect the draught.

As the news spread among the professors that Hermione was assisting Professor Snape with his own private research as a portion of her apprenticeship, she received much praise. One afternoon, while Hermione was rushing through the corridors to make it to her class on time, she was stopped by Professor McGonagall.

"Miss Granger," McGonagall's voice rang through the corridor. Stopping suddenly, Hermione turned to face her professor.

"Yes, Professor?" she replied, though a little breathless.

"Ah, Miss Granger, I'm glad to have caught you outside of class," she said, touching a hand to the Head Girl's shoulder. "How are your classes?"

"Oh, Professor McGonagall—" she was breathing easier now, and as she wiped a trickle of sweat from her brow, she smiled. "Just fine."

"I wanted to congratulate you," McGonagall said quickly, noticing Hermione's urgency and wishing to let her go. "I have just heard the news that Professor Snape has asked you specifically to assist him with some of his research. This is quite an honor indeed!"

"Oh—oh, thank you, Professor," Hermione said hurriedly. "Yes, we've just begun working on it, and it's quite fascinating!"

"Professor Snape is quite lucky to have you as an apprentice, Miss Granger!" McGonagall said.

Hermione's cheeks pinked furiously at her comment and she thanked McGonagall profusely before excusing herself and heading off to her class. McGonagall would not be the last professor to congratulate her on the opportunity to work with Severus on his own research, and she had run into Professors Flitwick, Binns, and Sinestra at different times during the following weeks, and each had many compliments to offer the Head Girl.

Hermione was improving greatly in their Occlumency lessons. Severus had a very difficult time indeed accessing her thoughts by the end of the first month of their training, and he was quite pleased with her improvement. It would not be long before they could talk with Professor Dumbledore about their relationship, which Hermione hoped would ease Severus' unnecessary stressors, and would also allow her to confess to her friends the true reasons why she had been so absent in their lives. She was very happy to be learning the skill, as well, for more practical applications than just misleading the Headmaster; she thought it to be a very useful thing to know (and it had proven quite useful to Severus, after all, hadn't it?).

Hermione admitted that she felt quite bad about the lack of time she was spending with her friends, which seemed a recurring theme in her life at present. She would see them, at most, for meal times – and even that was infrequent. She, along with Severus, was often absent during lunch and dinner, reporting to the dungeons to (usually) converse with Severus, or sometimes to check on her projects.

The rest of her classes resumed with little event; the professors were beginning to prepare the students for their N.E.W.T. exams in June, along with lecturing on the relevant material. Hermione, who spent many hours in the evening working with Severus either on her project or her new secret skill, would remain awake into the very early morning hours to study for her other classes. Severus would often doze off beside her while she read from her textbooks or reviewed her notes from class. Her weekends were spent exclusively on her other classes, and when she had down time during her appointments with her mentor, she would study then as well.

Severus was being especially lenient considering he had told her, initially, he expected her to work only on her project while in his classroom. She knew it was primarily because, well, she was Hermione Granger, and Severus Snape fell in love with her. She tried not to exploit his emotions, and always requested permission before diverging from her assignment, and he usually allowed her to.

He seemed to enjoy simply watching her work, whether it was an active investment such as alchemy or a passive activity such as studying. He would often times sit near her, his dark eyes simply observing her, occasionally reaching out to her to stroke her cheek gently or kiss her. If one were to have told Hermione that Professor Severus Snape, Potions Master of Hogwarts, ex-Death Eater and double agent for the Order of the Phoenix, was capable of love, she would have thought them insane. But she had witnessed it first-hand – along with bearing witness to the harsh reality of the cruelty he was capable of – and she realized a long time ago that this man was only human. And he sought human needs, just as anyone else.

One cold, early February morning, Hermione returned to her private rooms to spend some time with Crookshanks during lunch. She was surprised when she found a package resting on her four-poster bed, wrapped in pretty green paper and tied neatly with a silver bow. She smiled to herself, figuring it was a surprise gift from Severus, and she sat down on her comfortable bed. She had to admit, surprises from the Potions Master were few and far between, which she thought perhaps made them all the more meaningful. Looking at the pretty sapphire ring which she had practically permanently affixed to her right ring finger, she smiled. Suddenly, her chest filled with joy.

Turning the gift over, she discovered it was a bit heavier than she expected. She lifted the package into her lap, pulling delicately at the ribbon. Severus was becoming quite the romantic, and she had no complaints. She had no clue this side existed to the man, of course – but she was not at all disappointed when exposed to it.

Hermione started pulling open the gift, careful not to rip the paper. Inside the box was a single bottle of elderflower wine. Hermione smiled to herself, and wondered briefly what about that particular wine reminded her lover of her. She drank it on occasion at the Weasleys, but surely Severus did not know that – or did he? She would not be surprised, given the amount of private memories he had accessed when training her in Occlumency.

She pulled the cork out of the bottle and sniffed the liquid inside. It smelled quite sweet, sweeter than Hermione remembered. She poured herself a small cup, just for a sip. It tasted tarter than she recalled as well, but it was more to her liking than to what she was accustomed. How her lover knew her tastes so well she would never know, but she would not protest!

She smiled, capping the bottle off once more and setting it beside her vanity. She folded the gift paper neatly and set it inside her luggage chest. As her lunch break came to an end, she gathered up her things and abandoned her rooms. She couldn't believe the thoughtfulness of Severus' gift, and made a mental note to thank him later.

As she approached the Arithmancy classroom, Hermione felt an intense tugging in her nether regions. The thought of Severus had been doing such strange things to her throughout the entire year. She experienced the greatest temptation to abandon her responsibilities for the day in order to make love to Severus for the rest of their waking hours. Resisting the urge to skip her class, knowing that Severus would be unable to tend to her needs immediately, she forced herself into Professor Vector's classroom.

Professor Snape stood at the front of his classroom, his dark eyes surveying the students before him. They were eager to leave; it was a hellish class period, and Severus was in a very foul mood. A few of the students – even as fifth years – trembled under his scrutinizing glare. Sometimes he hated these children, the buffoons that they were. One would think after five years they would be capable… but no, not the students Severus had the misfortune of having to teach.

The students had been instructed to craft a rather simple draught, and yet they failed to complete it successfully. The samples they had provided him were quite pitiful indeed, and they sat arranged in a row on Severus' desk. It was as if his fifth year students had been replaced by apes; some of the students had even interrupted his lectures with petty laughter, and he was absolutely infuriated by the time the end of class came.

As he glared at the students, they fidgeted in their chairs. Some were leaning over, the strap of their bag in their hands, ready to flee as soon as the word was given. He did not even try to conceal his fury – his long nostrils flaring with each inspiration of breath, a subtle pulsing of the veins at his temples.

"You are dismissed," he growled, his voice dangerously low. "Langley, MacKenna, Myott – I would like to see you in my office."

If nothing else, there was sense of satisfaction for Severus as the three named students – some of the most ignorant, irksome, incapable idiots in any of his classes – realized with horror that they would have to remain. The rest of the students shuffled out of the classroom in a hurry, and Severus turned on his heel, stalking to his office.

Taking a seat behind his desk, he waited for the three troublesome dimwits to enter his office. Slowly, they arrived, their eyes wide with terror. He watched them closely at first, saying nothing. They squirmed under his gaze, and he lavished their fear in that moment, feeling vicious.

"You three are fortunate that Professor Dumbledore requires more than just pure idiocy for expulsion," Severus said, his voice icy and low. "If you disrupt my class once more, I will see to it that you will be among the most abhorred students in your houses. Fifty points from Ravenclaw and one hundred points from Hufflepuff."

The students gawked at the severity of their punishment. When Myott began to protest, Severus narrowed his eyes. The girl silenced herself immediately, her cheeks turning quite pink. Her gaze lowered to the floor.

"Get out of my office."

They needed not a second's thought to escape. As they rushed from the room, they nearly toppled over his apprentice, who entered, her face twisted in confusion. Severus was in a most foul mood, so much so that he wanted nothing to do with Hermione even. And she could tell.

She paused, turning her head to the side in question. Severus' black eyes bore into her own and she realized that if she lingered much longer, even she would find her house points reduced. Turning on her heel, Hermione fled the office and shut herself into the laboratory, where she worked quietly into the night. She came to recognize when Severus was unapproachable, and tonight he appeared to be of that disposition.

Severus remained in his office for a very long time that evening. He did not even consider reviewing the results from his fifth year class – he knew they would only make him murderous. He wanted nothing more than quiet seclusion, and instead began marking the potion samples his third year students had provided him a day earlier. While the samples were not abysmal, he was not terribly pleased with the results, and the task only soured his mood further.

Rather than continue to darken his mood, Severus finally stood from his desk and decided to observe his apprentice. Crossing the classroom, he paused a moment before the laboratory. Hermione had shut the door, a silent gesture indicating she knew he needed his privacy, and she intended on granting him that favor. He pushed the door open gently, the hinges creaking quietly against the weight. She hadn't noticed, as she was fully enthralled in what she was doing. He slid quietly into the room, approaching her from behind.

Hermione, who had been bent over her text, jumped with a start when Severus rested his hands on her hips. A quiet yelp had escaped her lips, and when she turned to chastise him, he caught her mouth in his. She melted into his kiss, forgetting her anger with him.

"I didn't want to bother you earlier," Hermione began as he released her. She turned back to her work. "You seemed very angry."

Severus did not respond, but simply watched her work. She had bewitched her potion to stir itself, and she apparently had begun working on homework from another class. Considering how aggravated he was, he was surprised that it didn't bother him.

"It only needed to be stirred for some hours today," she said, as she noticed his eyes scanning her workstation. "So I thought it would be appropriate if I worked on something from another class."

"You were correct in your assumption, but next time I request you ask my permission," Severus said.

"Of course," she replied simply, turning from him. She would have, too, if he weren't so angry earlier. But she thought better than to mention that to him.

Severus moved soundlessly through the laboratory as Hermione worked. She had grown accustomed to his eccentric ways, such as the way he would pace while observing her work. She had grown comfortable with him watching her, which was not something she had thought she would have ever been able to say before.

They remained together in the laboratory for the rest of the evening. Severus felt his mood improve simply in the presence of Hermione, and her intelligent conversation surely helped. On a few occasions, Hermione had been the one to approach Severus with devious intent, her hands somehow managing to find their way to his groin. It was as though she were encouraging him to completely abandon all he had been doing (though it was not much; simply organizing his stores for the most part) to tend to the needs she instigated below his belt. Her lips curled seductively whenever she caught his eye.

When they retired for the evening, Hermione had all but dragged Severus to his sleeping quarters, where she was the one to ravage him in lust. This side of her had never been exposed to him before, but he had to admit he did not mind it one bit.

As they entered his quarters, she had turned on him suddenly, pressing a passionate kiss against his lips. He had paused only a moment before grabbing hold of her, as her fingers began rapidly unfastening his clothing and pushing it off of him. She couldn't even wait to make it into his bedroom, and so she dragged him to the couch.

There, with Severus almost completely nude and Hermione almost completely dressed, she pulled her clothing off, nearly tearing it at the seams. She pressed another passionate kiss against his lips, her legs straddling his hips, grinding her hot core into his member. As she kissed her way down his face, he turned his head back to expose his throat to her. There, she bruised the pale flesh with aggressive kisses and gentle bites. Severus released a soft pleasured groan.

Lowering herself to her knees, she tightly wrapped her fingers around his throbbing organ. He watched her, the amber depths of her eyes ablaze with lust, and released a startled gasp when her mouth surrounded him. Allowing his head to loll backwards against the couch, Severus opened his legs to give her greater access to his manhood.

As she pleasured him, he couldn't help but press his hand against her head, guiding her movements to produce longer strokes with her mouth. As he felt himself coming closer to climax, she slowed her rhythmic movements – she could tell he was close to release, and to climax into her mouth simply would not do! Not this time. Her eyes flickered up to him, and as he looked down at her (hardly concealing his frustrated expression), she pulled her mouth off his erection.

Hermione snaked her way up to him, straddling his hips with her legs, and lowered herself onto him. She released a loud and excited moan as she moved onto him, her thrusts slow and long. Severus sucked one of her breasts into his mouth, his tongue teasing the hard nub. Hermione moaned softly, her body moving rhythmically along Severus' hard shaft.

Her chest was flushed and droplets of sweat squeezed their way onto her flesh. Severus cupped her breasts in his hands, kissing her neck as she rode him roughly, his voice a low growl against her throat as he moaned.

It wasn't long before Severus was climaxing, digging his spidery fingers into the flesh of her thighs. She slowed her movements down, as if trying to squeeze every last drop from him, and his panting breaths slowed with her. She leaned into him, placing kisses along his ear and jaw.

"I don't know what just got into me," she blushed, her breath on his ear. "I just… I've been thinking of you all day."

Severus touched her chin with his fingers gently, pulling her face to his. He planted a kiss onto her lips. "If you believe I minded your behavior just now, you are sorely mistaken, Miss Granger," he crooned, his voice silky and satisfied.

Hermione's cheeks turned bright pink again as she lowered herself to the couch beside her lover. She nestled into his chest, seeking his warmth. With a wave of his hand, the fireplace flickered into life, giving off the heat Hermione was seeking. Severus' fingers gently stroked the soft skin of Hermione's back, his touch raising gooseflesh along her body and eliciting a shiver. They remained on his couch for the rest of the evening, staring into the fireplace.

"Severus, I am very happy," she said quietly, the reflection of fire dancing in her eyes.

Severus squeezed her close to him, his fingers combing through her hair. He said nothing, and she was alright with that. Her amber eyes flickered shut, and she allowed herself to drift into sleep.

The following morning, Hermione woke before dawn. As she slowly sat, she realized that both she and Severus were lying in his bed. She recalled falling asleep on the couch, and wagered he must have carried her to bed after she had fallen asleep.

The Head Girl turned to look at her lover, a simple smile crossing her face. He was on his side, peacefully sleeping, and the harsh lines etched in his face seemed softer and less defined. She traced the crease around his mouth. The corner of his lips twitched, and slowly his eyes cracked open.

"What time is it?" he asked, his voice heavy with sleep.

"Just after dawn," Hermione whispered, leaning in to kiss him. He returned the gesture, though half-heartedly.

"Why are you awake?" he asked, rolling over to his other side.

Hermione couldn't help but laugh softly. Given how little she knew Severus last year, she would have only guessed that he was not a morning person. These past few months of waking beside him proved her to be right, though it seemed as long as he was the one to wake first, he was less grouchy.

She curled up behind him, wrapping her arm around his waist. She planted kisses all along his shoulders and the back of his neck, pushing his hair out of the way with her face. She felt him breathe a heavy sigh, one of contentment, and it forced a smile on her face. Her trail of kisses ended at the pinna of his ear.

"Severus, I love you," she whispered into his ear. "More than I ever thought possible."

They lay there for a few moments longer, Hermione snaked around his body. His breathing was even and slow, leading her to believe he had fallen back to sleep. Carefully, she slowly began rising from his bed, trying her best to avoid waking him and intending on departing before the early morning hallway wanderers. She felt his hand grasp her wrist, and she paused, turning towards him.

"Wait," he whispered, rolling onto his back. His dark eyes were glossy with sleep, but their gaze bore into her soul nonetheless.

Hermione smiled. "What is it?"

"You haven't any idea what that means to me, Hermione," he whispered to her. "I love you too."

She leaned into him, kissing him deeply. He combed his fingers through her hair, returning her gesture. She collapsed into the bed with him, his arms enveloping her as he kissed her passionately. She wrapped her arms around his waist, her fingers gently tracing shapes into the smooth skin of his back. If this moment could have lasted forever, Hermione would have been content. After a moment though, she pulled away, hesitantly.

"I need to get back to my rooms," she said, her voice almost sad.

Severus nodded, turning onto his side to face her. "Of course."

Lifting from the bed, Hermione moved through the room to gather her clothing in the sitting room. Quickly dressing, she stepped into Severus' sleeping room once more, kneeling onto his bed to kiss him. He pulled her into an embrace suddenly, catching her by surprise. He kissed her forehead before releasing her.

"I'll see you in class," she whispered.

The Potions Master rolled onto his back, folding his hands beneath his head. He could hear her quiet footsteps as she crossed the sitting room. He turned onto his side, allowing his eyes to flicker closed once more. He still had quite a bit of time to sleep, and he intended on resting for a bit longer. He heard the quiet creak of the door as it opened, and then a quiet gasp from his lover.

What he didn't expect to hear was the surprised voice of the Headmaster. "Well, good morning, Miss Granger. I can say I certainly was not expecting to find you here."

Severus sat up so quickly in his bed his head began throbbing momentarily. He rose from his bed, hurrying to gather his robes. Panicked, he pulled them on, stumbling over the legs of his trousers.

"Professor Dumbledore!" he heard Hermione cry.

"I don't suppose Professor Snape is in here as well?" the Headmaster asked, his voice calm.

He could hear Hermione stammering in shock. "Well… uh… uhm…" If he could have found humor in her speechlessness, he would have.

Pulling his fingers through his hair, Severus swept into the sitting room, as calmly as he could muster. Dumbledore was still standing in the entranceway, Hermione blocking his path into the room.

"Headmaster," Severus said.

"Ah, Severus," Dumbledore looked from Hermione to face the Potions Master. "I had come to discuss something with you, but it seems so trivial now that I have run into Miss Granger stepping out of your private quarters so early in the morning. Pardon me, Miss Granger, if you would."

Hermione blushed intensely as she backed out of the Headmaster's way. He and Severus simply stared at each other for a few very long moments. Hermione remained standing by the door, dumbfounded and rooted to the spot.

"Severus, I believe you have some explaining to do," Dumbledore said softly, turning his eyes on Hermione. "Have a seat, dear girl. I have a feeling this is going to be a very long conversation."
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Matters of the Heart