Yuleride

Chapter 5 ~ Consideration

Ron didn’t spend the night. After having a meal and unsuccessfully trying to
cajole Hermione into another bit of shagging, the red-headed wizard left with
the promise he’d see her tomorrow evening, making plans to go to Muggle London
and catch a movie.

“Whatever you want to see is fine,” Ron said to her, kissing her on the cheek
before he left. Hermione’s fake smile faded the moment the door closed.

She always knew she wasn’t really happy with Ron as a boyfriend, but like a lot
of women thought that maybe she would be able to change him and make him into
the ideal man. And like most women she found it was her own life that was slowly
changing. There were things she liked about Ron, and she guiltily thought that
sex shouldn’t be an issue. What kind of person dumps someone because of
something unimportant like sex? There were other things more important to
consider in a relationship.

Hermione, as brilliant as she was concerning gathering knowledge and learning
things, didn’t really delve into sexual matters in that way. She had no one to
talk to about Ron because she didn’t have girlfriends. Well, there was Ginny,
but Ginny was Ron’s sister and Hermione didn’t feel it would be right or
comfortable to discuss her sex life with her.

Besides, men enjoyed sex more than women did. Women controlled when the act was
done but men had the upper hand. Maybe this was just how it was and she should
be glad to have a man at all. There were probably worse ones out there than Ron,
men who would cheat on her, abuse her, maybe even strike her. She’d heard a lot
of horrible stories about witches who ended up with men like that. Men that
started out wonderful and then changed once they had established a relationship.
Ron could be slightly controlling but Hermione could handle him. He’d back down
if she wasn’t agreeable. Not every wizard would be that way.

Poor, uninformed, repressed and sexually frustrated Hermione.

Hermione picked up a book and retired to her bedroom, planning to read until she
fell asleep, but as she tried to do so, she found she was distracted. A pair of
narrowed black eyes kept intruding on her thoughts and ruining her
concentration.

Professor Snape.

Hermione sighed. What was going on here? It made sense that the Professor might
steal a bit of her focus because of his offer. It was very exciting. But what
she was thinking about were his kisses. How moving they had been . . . how
seductive. She felt she could have kissed the wizard all night, he was just that
good.

Hermione shuddered. Gods, he was so blasted ugly though. She didn’t find
anything remotely attractive about Severus Snape physically. First, he was
almost twice her age. No, that wasn’t right, but he was much older than she was.
His complexion was just this side of sickly and he was very thin. He looked as
if he suffered from some kind of condition. His hair was always oily and
greasy-looking as if he didn’t wash it. But she had been close to him and he
smelled quite clean, even his hair despite how it looked. And she couldn’t even
begin to comment on his looks. Perhaps if his face wasn’t perpetually scowling
he’d look better. But it was most likely stuck like that now, that huge nose
wrinkled with disdain at any given moment. He’d looked like that for years. How
could she even consider doing anything with him?

Hermione put her book on the nightstand and lay down on her back, waiting for
sleep to come. It eventually did, and the witch found herself back at Hogwarts.
She was surrounded by students, every one of them looking at her with disdain.
She was little, bushy-haired and bucktoothed again. Draco Malfoy was standing in
front of her.

“Why don’t you go to the kitchens, Granger? You can use those teeth to help the
House Elves open cans,” he drawled nastily as the other students laughed.

”You could use that hair to help scour out pots,” Millicent Bulstrode added to
even more scornful laughter.

The students all taunted and teased her, gathering around the witch so she
couldn’t escape.

“You’re so ugly, Granger that anyone who shags you is going to have to pull your
robes over your face,” Draco laughed as tears streamed down her face.

”Leave me alone! Leave me alone!” Hermione cried, then finally managed to push
by them, running down the dungeon corridor blinded by her tears. Suddenly she
ran into someone. She looked up to find Professor Snape looking down at her, his
eyes narrowed and his mouth held in a tight line.

“What is the matter with you, Miss Granger?” he asked her harshly.

Hermione looked up at the wizard.

”A group of students surrounded me, teasing me and calling me names,” Hermione
replied.

Snape’s scowl lessened at bit.

”When you act like a know-it-all you can expect that, but be assured it stems
from jealousy,” the wizard said.

”N…no. They were teasing me because of my teeth and hair. They said I was ugly,”
Hermione said to him.

Snape looked at her with a rather odd expression. His mouth twitched slightly as
if it didn't want to open at first. Then the wizard spoke.

”As brilliant as you are, Miss Granger, you are being quite thick. True beauty
is not something that is visible, and not something the shallow can recognize.
Beauty radiates from within, through the traits and character of a person.
Beauty comes from the heart. Physical attractiveness fades, because it is a
finite illusion. It is the inner beauty that is the true reflection of who you
are. It is the inner beauty that matters in the end. You have to remember that.
Don’t be shallow and judge others solely on appearance. And don’t be concerned
if others don’t see your beauty. I assure you, it is there.”

Hermione looked up at the dour wizard, unable to believe he had said something
kind to her.

”Th . . . thank you, Professor Snape,” she said, wiping at her eyes.

She really did feel better.

”You’re welcome Miss Granger. Now thirty-five points from Gryffindor for almost
running me down,” he purred with a nasty little curl of his lip, completely in
character now.

Hermione suddenly awoke and lay on her back, thinking about the
dream-professor’s words.

“I’m being shallow concerning Professor Snape,” she said to herself, then set
about thinking what was good about him. Surprisingly, there was quite a bit when
she thought about it.

First off, he was a brave wizard. He had proved that by his service to the
Wizarding World. He was also the kind of man that could put his personal
feelings on the backburner and do what was necessary to be done. He proved that
when he protected Harry, whom he clearly despised. He was also a dedicated
teacher, determined to force knowledge into the resistant little heads of his
dunderheaded students. He was very talented at Potions as well as Spell making.
In fact, it could be said he was a genius. Then, there were actually physical
things about him that were attractive. The way he moved for example. He had a
smooth, almost graceful stride, although there was a time when Hermione noticed
he was a bit . . . twitchy when he walked. She saw that in the Shrieking Shack.
Possibly it was because he was expecting some kind of attack. He was right if
that was the case because Nagini bit him.

Snape also had an amazing voice. She hadn’t noticed it before but when he was
speaking to her, he sounded so . . . there was no other word for it . . . sexy.

Hermione's nose wrinkled a bit at putting the word “sexy” together with the name
“Snape” but, it was true. He had a voice that could turn a mountain to magma. It
certainly had burned away Hermione’s reserve for a few minutes.

Then there was the way he brewed his potions. He was meticulous and sure from
beginning to end, from the cutting to the stirring to the finished product, his
hands seeming as if they would never make a mistake. Oh, those hands. When he
was massaging her shoulders, they felt wonderful. They felt as if he knew
exactly where to touch to bring the most pleasure . . .

Hermione felt a bit of warmth in her belly, something she hadn’t felt in a long
time, not since she and Ron were courting and before they had sex. The sensation
of growing desire. That delicious, sweet sense of longing.

”Oh my gods,” Hermione breathed, pushing it away.

She didn’t need to feel it. She didn’t want to feel it.

But it stayed with her until she fell asleep.

****************************************

The next day, Hermione decided to go to Diagon Alley and prowl Flourish & Blotts
book shop. This was one of her main pleasures. She hated going with Ron however.
He always went straight to the Quidditch section, then after he had looked
through the newest titles, wanted to leave. Hermione could stay there for hours,
especially since they now had a reading area with comfortable chairs and could
purchase tea and cakes.

Hermione entered the shop and immediately had to duck as a large, rather
fluttery book swooped down on her, barely missing her head. It was being pursued
by a rather flustered assistant with a large butterfly net.

”Bloody book,” he growled as he ran by her.

Hermione smiled. One never knew what they’d see at Flourish & Blotts. Many of
the books were magical and almost seemed alive as they’d disappear, snap, bite
and even chase employees that mistreated them.

She was standing by the magazine section and glanced over at it. There were the
usual periodicals, and brown wrapped adult literature with just the titles
showing such as "Playwitch," "Playwizard" and "Buns 'n Wands." Then she noticed
one called “Witches Today.”

On the cover was singing sensation and bombshell Catherine Hornsby, pouting and
striking a pose reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe, breasts and bum slightly jutting
out. Black-haired, green-eyed with a very healthy body, Catherine was gorgeous.
But it wasn’t the witch’s beauty that attracted Hermione but the heading next to
the kiss-blowing woman.

Catherine Hornsby: Why I Only Date Unattractive Wizards

Hermione’s brows rose and she plucked the magazine out of the rack and leafed
through it until she found the article. There was a picture of Catherine sitting
on the lap of a very happy-looking bald, paunchy wizard. He was pretty ugly.

Hermione read the short article.

*****************************************

Slicking on another layer of lipstick, Catherine Hornsby slings her bag over
her shoulder and struts into the pub.

A sea of dark, handsome heads turn to ogle her. Jaws drop and good-looking
wizards raise their eyebrows or move in to offer her a drink.

But Catherine walks on by. She only has eyes for one man. He’s waiting for her
in a dark corner. He’s not one of the handsome blokes in sharp robes. He’s not
even ‘average’.

He’s bald and podgy, with a pock-marked face, and is easily the ugliest wizard
in the room. Catherine sidles into the chair next to him.

‘Hi, gorgeous,’ she purrs. The man’s gargoyle face breaks into a toothless
smile.

The good-looking wizards know they don’t stand a chance.

Catherine dated her fair share of hunky wizards, but has given up on gorgeous
blokes because they’re dull . . . both in and out of bed.

‘I can’t imagine anything more boring than classic handsome looks,’ she says. ‘I
prefer no teeth, baldness and piercings to model looks. I like celebs such as
Vincent Schiavelli and Mackenzie Crook rather than Brad Pitt.’

‘Ugly wizards try harder. They care more about you and treat you like a
princess. Good-looking guys are self-obsessed. That’s not attractive.’

And Catherine is not alone. In a recent study, it was found only a third of
witches said looks were the first thing that attracted them to a man. Most
preferred a sense of humor, powerful magical ability or career success.

Researchers also believe ugly wizards exist as a way of repairing our gene pool.
Witches would rather date wizards with good genes, who can fight disease easily,
than a classically beautiful man.

So are good looks really that important? Catherine Hornsby and a number of
witches definitely don’t think so.

********************************************

Hermione blinked as she finished the article and put it back in the rack. She
couldn’t imagine Severus Snape treating her (or anyone} like a princess unless
it involved locking her in a tall tower or something. But Catherine had a point,
although Hermione only had Ron for an example. He was rather self-obsessed most
of the time, as well as not the greatest in bed. Dull wasn’t quite the word,
more like selfish. For example, Ron liked receiving oral sex but not giving it.

”I don’t like the way it tastes,” he’d complain.

Needless to say, Ron didn’t get very many blowjobs out of Hermione. His idea of
foreplay were a few hard kisses and gropes, and he never even fingered her below
to help prepare her. If she were dry, he’d simply spit in his hand and apply it
liberally to his tool, then go for the gold. If Hermione wanted fingering, she’d
have to do it herself.

She wasn’t sure if this was how sex was for everyone, but it wasn’t anything
stellar for her, though there had been a few times when it was better and she
managed to orgasm. But it didn’t happen that often. Ron could be rather
rabbit-like and it didn’t bother him a bit. He always climaxed after all and
that was the main purpose of having sex . . . so he accomplished what he set out
to do.

Ron wasn’t all bad however. He could make Hermione laugh and they did go out
dancing or to the movies on occasion. Unlike most men, Ron would sit through
“sensitive” movies with little complaint . . . although he snoozed most of the
time, Hermione elbowing him when he’d start to snore.

Hermione then walked to the research section of the bookshop, eyeing several
titles until she found one that looked interesting.

”Legendary Potions of Our Time and Way Before”

Hm. She picked it up and flipped through the pages. She saw a few potion names
she recognized from the professor’s map. She read a bit, then purchased the
book. She didn’t stay at the shop long, but hurried home so she could get in a
bit of reading before Ron arrived.

Ron did arrive that evening, but found a note on the door that said Hermione had
gone for the evening. The note didn’t say where she went, but Ron figured maybe
she’d gone to see her parents for some and left.

He’d find out what happened tomorrow.

**************************************

What happened was that the book she purchased had fired Hermione’s imagination
so much, that she just had to go and see Snape to get some idea of his exact
plans and how feasible they were. How would he travel? What potion was he going
after first? What accommodations would he have?

Hermione was full of questions and the dark wizard was the only one who could
answer them. Now, this didn’t mean she was going to go with him, oh no. She just
wanted to find out how much planning he’d put into it.

She had some hypothetical questions as well. If she did go, what would she do
for money? She figured he would pay her way, but Snape didn’t strike her as
someone who would just throw money around. There would have to be some
conditions. He already said it wouldn’t be necessary to sleep with him, although
it would be convenient for both of them.

Convenient. Right.

But he had to have something up his robes sleeve, and she wanted to know what it
was. If he protested her questioning him, she’d simply say she had to have a
good understanding of what he intended to do to make an informed decision.

He’d have to tell her what she wanted to know if he truly wanted her to come
with him.

As she stood outside the Potions office, Hermione had the sensation of lacewing
flies fluttering around her stomach. Why was she so nervous? She rapped on the
door hard.

There was no answer.

She did it again.

Still, no answer.

Then she pounded on the door and it was ripped open, professor Snape standing in
the doorway imperiously, his face in a snarl. Hermione felt her belly flip over
at the sight of him.

”What is it, damn it!” he yelled in irritation, almost blowing Hermione’s hair
back before he realized who it was.

”I thought you went home for the holidays,” he said to her in a calmer voice,
displeasure clearly on his pale face. “I should have known someone would
interrupt my free time.”

”Hello to you as well,” Hermione snapped at him.

Snape looked down his nose at her.

”Enough niceties. What do you want?” he asked her impatiently.

For someone who wanted Hermione to travel around the world with him, the
professor wasn’t being very accommodating.

”I have some questions for you. About your travel plans,” Hermione said to him.

”Questions?” the wizard repeated, his eyes narrowing.

”Yes, questions. I need to know some things so I can make an informed decision.
Surely you don’t expect me to just go because you want me to go?” she said to
the wizard.

”That would be convenient,” he replied, “But I suppose impossible. Very well.
Come in and wait for me in the study. I’m in the middle of brewing. And don’t
touch anything.”

Snape stalked back into his office and opened the wall, standing aside. Inside
it was dark and cold.

”I’m afraid you’re going to have to start your own fire,” the wizard said, “I
have to return to my lab or my potion will be ruined.”

He turned and billowed away down the short corridor that connected his office to
the classroom and lab.

Hermione looked after him for a moment, then inside the dark interior of the
study. She pulled out her wand.

“Lumos,” she said, the tip of her wand lighting up. She entered the freezing
study, her wand drawn. She quickly walked over to the fireplace.

”Flambe!” she said, igniting it. The flames crackled merrily, warmth spreading
quickly. Snape must have charmed the fireplace to heat the area swiftly.
Hermione pocketed her wand then rubbed her palms together in front of the fire
to warm her hands. Idly, she then wandered around the room, looking at the
titles Snape had in his private library. She saw a book that looked interesting
and pulled it out.

Immediately a loud, clanging alarm sounded and Hermione quickly pushed the book
back into its proper place, expecting Snape to appear, ranting and raving.

But he didn’t.

Snape had heard the alarm, but he had expected to hear it. He smirked slightly
as he stirred the potion he was brewing clockwise several times.

”Still a rule breaker,” he said under his breath.

************************************************

A/N: A/N: Catherine's "Article" was adapted from an actual article: We Only Date
Ugly Men; published May 22nd, 2007 in "The Sun" (British Periodical)

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/woman/real_life/article230014.ece 
Thanks for reading. ***