In an Alternate Universe

Chapter 42 ~ First, Supper

Hermione opened the wall that led into her private quarters and walked forward. Suddenly, she stopped and Severus, who was right on the witch’s heels bumped into her, erection first.

Hermione spun and looked at him narrow-eyed.

”Damn it, Severus . . . you’re right on top of me,” she hissed at the smitten Gryffindor, who murmured “sorry” but wore a rather naughty smirk. Hermione realized she should have expressed herself a bit differently, then ducked as the young wizard tried to grab her in a rather sloppy bear hug.

Hermione immediately whipped out her wand and pointed it directly between his eyes. He quickly ceased his advances.

”Severus,” she said calmly, despite having a bead on the wizard. “We are going to have an ‘adult’ evening. You will not be grabbing, pulling on or mauling me in any manner. You are going to control yourself or this little celebration could easily turn into a . . .”

Hermione hesitated because she couldn’t think of an antonym for “celebration.”

”. . . a cause for mourning,” she concluded. “Do you understand?”

”Yes, Mistress,” Severus said softly, his eyes devouring the witch despite being a bit crossed from the wand tip being so close.

Hermione lowered her wand.

”Good. Now, on the armchair is something for you. I want you to take it, go into the bathroom and shower thoroughly. I’ll order our supper while you’re doing that,” the witch said to the wizard, who looked surprised.

”Something for me? A gift?” he asked her, hurriedly walking by her and heading for the armchair.

”More for me,” Hermione said under her breath as Severus picked up a pair of Slytherin green silk pajamas and held them against himself. They were the perfect size. He looked at Hermione.

”These aren’t my house colors,” he said to her, evidently feeling a bit House-oriented.

”That’s because you’re in Granger’s House,” she replied with a smirk. “In Granger’s house you follow Granger’s rules and wear Granger’s colors which happen to be . . . surprise . . . Slytherin green. Now go get in the shower.”

Severus disappeared into her bedroom so quickly, it seemed as if he’d Apparated. The shower came on amazingly fast. Hermione shook her head and approached the floo, her brow furrowed as she thought about what they should eat. Nothing too heavy.

After a minute or two, she contacted the kitchen.

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Severus soaped his body lavishly, not missing any part. She had told him to shower thoroughly and he did so, not daring to even hope there was some very naughty reason for him to do so. But she said they were going to celebrate like ‘adults.’ He wasn’t sure what this meant exactly, since shagging was a rather adult act itself. What was going to be different?

He couldn’t wait to find out.

As he bathed, Severus thought of the Kama Sutra positions he had yet to try out. Tonight, he intended to put a few of them in action, hoping to impress the witch and maybe convince her to make ‘celebration’ a more permanent part of their relationship over the next four years. He’d do his best.

Severus rinsed thoroughly, then stepped out of the shower, drying himself with a large, green towel. He then pulled on the silk pajamas. They felt quite nice against his skin. He was going commando of course. He didn’t need anything getting in the way when the time came. He brushed his teeth, then picked up his robes, taking something out of one of the pockets.

He looked at the closed bathroom door furtively, then suddenly locked it. He blinked, listening for Hermione, his heart pounding a little. If she caught him . . .

But he didn’t hear her coming, so he quickly uncapped the bottle of Extra Strength Stamina potion he had talked Poppy out of and guzzled it down. He had retrieved it after Hermione told him to make himself scarce for an hour or so, going straight to the Infirmary. It hadn’t been hard to talk the medi-witch out of the potion, especially since she knew Hermione could be a bit of a slave driver. Severus simply said he was nearly exhausted and did his best to look the part. Poppy did a precursory check on him, and although she didn’t find anything terribly wrong with the wizard, gave him a bottle of the potion as a preventative.

“Now you use that sparingly,” she said to Severus, who nodded.

”Thank you, Madam Pomfrey,” the young Gryffindor said with a broad smile, pocketing the bottle and leaving with quite a bit of energy for someone who was being worked to exhaustion. Poppy just chalked it up to the exuberance of youth and returned to her other patients.

Now, behind closed doors Severus drained the bottle. He lowered it, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He looked at himself in the mirror, a slow, rather naughty smile splitting his face.

He didn’t know about the professor, but he intended to ‘celebrate’ for quite a while.

The entire night if possible.

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Severus walked into the study and stopped as he looked at the professor. She was no longer in her robes, but instead in a long, silk, Slytherin green nightgown that clung to the curves of her body. She stood before the fireplace, sipping a glass of wine, staring into the flames soberly. He could see she was barefoot, and firelight flickered over her skin and her eyes caught the light, as did her hair, which was soft and curling.

He stood there, admiring her for more than a minute before Hermione suddenly looked over and scowled at him.

”How long have you been standing there?” she snapped at him.

”Not too long. I was . . . admiring how beautiful you are in the firelight,” the Gryffindor said softly, slowly approaching her.

Hermione felt a little flush of pleasure at his words, but fought it back, trying to maintain her toughness. Her amber eyes drifted over the green silk pajamas he wore. Severus looked quite attractive in them, although they did nothing to hide his semi-erection. It seemed the young wizard was always in a state of readiness.

”Well, the food is here. I hope you know that most likely I am going to gain a few extra calories because of your need for a ‘celebration,’” she said as she walked toward a medium-sized round table with a single candle on it set up in the middle of the study. Two chairs sat opposite each other and she drew one out.

”Wait!” Severus said, hurrying over and taking hold of the chair for her. Hermione blinked at him then gingerly sat down, Severus sliding the chair in for her gallantly.

”Thank you,” Hermione murmured as he took his seat, looking across at her, rather than the salad and crab cake on his plate.

”I know this isn’t fish and chips, Severus, but it is good food, even without the grease,” she said to him in a rather withering voice. “Would you like a glass of wine with your food?”

Severus shook his head.

”No. I want all my faculties when we . . . we . . . celebrate,” he breathed at her.

Hermione rolled her eyes and poured herself another glass.

”You still have a boy’s tastes,” she said to him as she took a sip of her wine. Severus poured himself a glass of pumpkin juice.

”Not in everything,” he responded in a low voice, his eyes hungry as he looked at her. “I just don’t want anything to cloud my mind tonight but you, professor. You intoxicate me.”

Hermione snorted then laughed out loud.

”Did you get that line out of some book?” she asked him, nearly cackling.

”No!” Severus replied reproachfully as he cut into his crab cake. “I meant that. I thought it up all by myself.”

“You need to think harder, then,” she said.

Severus didn’t reply, but looked rather sullen as he ate his food. After about five minutes Hermione looked over at him and sighed. Damn, he was still new at this. She’d hurt his feelings. She tapped her foot and looked around the room a moment before looking back at the Gryffindor.

”Stop pouting!” she snapped at the wizard.

Severus leveled his eyes on her.

”I’m not pouting. I’m just being quiet so I don’t say anything stupid so you’ll laugh at me again,” he said, then looked down at his meal again.

Hermione’s stomach clenched as she dug deep to find something to comfort him, make him feel better. Merlin, she wasn’t used to this.

”It wasn’t exactly ‘stupid’ Severus. Just rather funny,” she said tightly.

Severus looked at her as he drew his salad towards him.

”You make me feel like a joke. Like you’ll never take me seriously,” he said to her, “I don’t want to feel that way. I don’t want you to think of me like that. I’m a man, professor. I’m young, but I’m still a man. No man wants the woman he loves to laugh and make fun of him.”

Hermione had to really bite back the words that tried to burst from between her lips. She really wasn’t used to repressing her words when it came to students, and she still saw Severus as a student. He was nowhere near a man yet, the best he could be considered was a man-boy at eighteen. And this talk about Love. Dear gods.

“Eat your salad,” she said, digging into her own salad.

It was a delicious Mandarin Orange salad with baby wild greens, sugared walnuts, parsley and celery hearts in a sweet vinaigrette.

Severus picked out the oranges, walnuts and celery but left the rest. He was still quiet.

Hermione broke the silence.

”I bet Vargas is planning my demise right now,” she said with a pleased smile.

Severus looked up at her sharply.

”What? You think he’d try to kill you, professor?” he asked her, a worried expression on his face. Maybe he needed to get Vargas first.

Hermione chuckled.

”I wouldn’t be surprised, but it would be difficult, believe me. If it’s not a direct attack he has little chance, Severus. Anyway, watching that pompous bastard storm out of there without you is worth being targeted. Wait until he reads Rita’s article tomorrow. He might have a heart attack, or at least bust a blood vessel,” Hermione said, a broad smile on her face now.

Severus smiled as well because she looked genuinely happy. He rarely saw her this way, and he knew it was because he accepted her offer. He began to feel better.

“Why did you two have your wands on each other?” he asked her.

”Oh. I called him a thief and a coward . . . which he is,” she said to the Gryffindor, who paled slightly. She talked to Antoine Vargas that way? In front of people? Wow.

“Why did you say that to him?” Severus asked her, now pulling over the Champagne Shrimp Pasta and spearing a shrimp with his fork.

“Because he’s a bloody poser, that’s why,” Hermione said, her face going black. “He has no love of the art of Potions or any interest in its advancement. The only thing he wants advanced is himself and he steps on the backs of others to do so. I can’t stand Vargas or any of these stuffed shirts. I hope you turn the entire field on its ear, Severus. I hope that when you become a Master and take apprentices, you will give them the same opportunity I gave you and break this cycle of theft and underachievement permeating our art. I hope . . . I hope you make a difference . . . because . . .”

Hermione’s voice faltered a moment, and she looked at him, her eyes vulnerable.

”Because if you make a difference, Severus . . . I will have too,” she said softly. “I will have really done something for the good of Potions and those who love it as much as I do.”

Severus stared at her, absorbing the fact that Hermione really was investing something other than her time in him. She was investing her hope. She had a dream that she believed he could help make a reality. And it wasn’t a selfish dream either, despite her being a Slytherin.

”I promise you, professor, I’ll do my very best to break that cycle . . . my very best. And it will be for you,” he said softly. “I won’t ever let you down.”

Hermione sighed.

”You have no idea how often that’s been said to me, Severus,” she replied, “and how many times I have been let down.”

”It’s never been said to you by me, professor. I won’t let you down, I swear it,” Severus declared.

Of course, a powerful swirl of magic followed the declaration, putting another Oath in place.

Hermione just stared at him, then shook her head in resignation. She had a feeling this was going to happen a lot with the young wizard until he got control of his emotions. Maybe she’d better focus on making a potion that could break Wizarding Oaths in the near future. She’d put it on her to-do list.

”Severus Snape, you’re going to end up Oathing yourself into an early grave,” the Potions mistress muttered.

”As long as I’m with you, I’ll die happy,” he responded with a smile.

Hermione fought back a groan. He might not be getting these lines from a book, but they were just as sappy as if he were. Still, it was rather sweet he was trying so hard.

They finished their meal with two small pieces of French Chocolate pie. Severus felt it had been an okay meal, but it didn’t fill him up. Hermione poured herself another glass of wine as the wizard looked at her impatiently. She took her time drinking the wine, watching Severus through her lashes. He was starting to get restless.

If he thought he was restless now, just wait.

Finally, Hermione put down her glass and started to stand up. Severus quickly jumped out of his seat, rushed around the table and pulled her chair out. He stood very close behind her as she stepped away from the chair.

”Do we go to the bedroom now?” he breathed at her anxiously, licking his lips as his eyes swept over her nightgown.

”No, we’re going to retire to the sofa for a bit, Severus. We are going to approach this in an adult fashion as I said before. You don’t rush to the bedroom. You have to take time, do a bit of exploration . . .”

”Snogging?” Severus asked hopefully. He didn’t have a lot of experience kissing the witch. He’d like that.

Hermione let out a despairing sigh. Snogging. What an infantile term. It was just as bad as “shagging.”

”Kissing, Severus. I prefer the term ‘kissing.’ Snogging sounds so . . . childish. If you don’t want me to see you as a child, you’re going to have to stop using those kinds of terms,” she told him as she walked toward the sofa.

“All right. So kissing then. We’re going to kiss?” he asked her.

Hermione sat down and Severus plopped down next to her as close as he could, his dark eyes resting on her mouth.

”Yes, Severus . . . we’re going to . . .mmmmph!”

Hermione didn’t get a chance to finish as Severus pounced, latching on to her mouth.

Even the Giant Squid didn’t have the suction of that randy young wizard as he went at Hermione, lost in her heat and sweetness as he tasted chocolate on her tongue.

At first, Hermione struggled, but his hunger was contagious.

”Oh, what the hell,” she thought, relaxing and letting the wizard have his way.

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A/N: Thanks for reading.