Chapters 91-100

A Bath

‘If I never see another student again in my life,’ Hermione groaned, ‘it will be too soon.’

‘What?’ Severus sneered. ‘Tired of your dear dunderheads already?’

She gave him a wry grin. ‘Let’s just say that my understanding of your patient and equable disposition has increased by leaps and bounds.’

Just around five minutes ago the massed student populace of Hogwarts had finally left for their summer holidays. Hermione’s ears were still ringing with the echoes of their screams and shouts, cheers and tears.

‘It was rather an exit with a bang this year,’ Severus admitted grudgingly, and absently rubbed his left arm.

Hermione frowned. She’d noticed him surreptitiously touching his left forearm before. ‘Is something wrong? Does your arm hurt?’

He snatched his hand away from his arm as if he’d been burnt. ‘No. It’s nothing. Just…Old habits die hard, I suppose.’

‘Of course.’ She swallowed drily. I need to look away from his hands. I need to stop obsessing about how his hands felt on my naked skin. No, I need to feel his damn hands on my naked skin again.

He’d noticed her gaze. Of course.

Black eyes caught hers. Predictably, her stomach tightened, quivered, and she grew aware of how the fabric of her bras and blouse stretched over her breasts. She bit down on her lip, hard. When had she so completely fallen for him? Hermione couldn’t remember. All she knew was that she was still falling.

Will you catch me? she wondered. Or will there be no net, and nothing to save me…

Brusquely she turned away.

Hermione, she told herself, get a grip. You need to get a grip now. You’re twenty years old. You knowingly entered a marriage of convenience. You knew there might never be mutual love in this marriage. He told you so, for God’s sake! You can’t pine for your own husband. That’s ridiculous.

BLOODY HELL.

‘Hermione?’ A hand touched her, turned her around. His voice was hoarse.

If Harry and Draco are right, we have maybe a month left. Perhaps six weeks. And he doesn’t believe that we have any chance at all.

…‘bloody hell’ doesn’t even begin to cover it.

oooOooo

His arm was hurting. Although his rational mind was telling him that it was only the inclement weather wreaking havoc with his scar, there was a part of his mind that was not at all rational, and indeed closer to panic than Severus wanted to admit even to himself.

And then she had to go and look at him like that.

Damn, damn, and damn again.

Huge brown eyes, and she was so obviously trying to be brave. Damn those Gryffindors.

oooOooo

‘Well,’ Severus asked and raised a black eyebrow. ‘How do you feel about your experiments, Hermione? Are you willing to test your own brews?’

She frowned at him and for some perverse reason her insecurity pleased him.

‘Your bathing lotion,’ he insisted. ‘Is it or is it not ready for testing?’

At her wary look, he couldn’t keep from smirking.

‘If you failed to notice, Hermione—the students are gone, and all of the teachers who have homes and families elsewhere in the world have left Hogwarts as well. Should you desire to conduct any…dangerous…experiments, I suggest that you avail yourself of this unique opportunity.’ He noticed that his silky tone had a profound effect on Hermione and couldn’t suppress a feeling of smug satisfaction.

She simply stared at him. His lips curled into an almost gleeful grin. Hermione—speechless? Well done, Master Snape!

He watched how the expression in her clear brown eyes changed to a challenging sparkle. Intrigued he waited for her inevitable retort. While she lacked his scathing wit, he had rather come to appreciate her sense of humour as both subtle and intelligent.

She took a step forward until she was standing so close to him that he could feel her breasts pressed against his chest. Slowly she raised her head to meet his eyes. The small movement rubbed her breasts against him and sent a jolt of desire through his body. When he sharply sucked in his breath, a faint smile crossed her face.

‘And here I thought you would never suggest hat we try out our new bathroom, sir.’

oooOooo

Dumbledore had once accused him of enjoying to torture himself. Severus had replied that exposing himself to temptation was an exercise in self-control and that, when all was said and done, he more than deserved the most painful penance obtainable.

Sinking deeper into the scented foam of the bath his apprentice had prepared for them, he wondered how wise it had been to agree to Hermione’s suggestion to use her magically soothing bathing lotion to inaugurate the pool in their new bathroom.

Watching her disrobe took his breath away. When Hermione sat down at the edge of the pool and smiled at him seductively before she allowed herself to slide slowly into the water, Severus was sure that nothing short of knocking him unconscious would be able to soothe or calm him that night.

oooOooo

Severus floated, weightless and warm. His head rested on a pool pillow, while gentle hands sleeked back his wet hair.

‘I’ve made a shampoo for you,’ Hermione murmured. ‘Vetyver, chickpea, lemon and rosemary. It’s good against greasy hair—it inhibits the excess activity of the sebaceous glands.’

He just sighed, relaxing under her tender touch.

‘I’m not giving you a massage because that stimulates the glands,’ she whispered as she smoothed shampoo into the strands of his hair. ‘But I have a tonic with bergamot and peppermint to comb into your hair for when I’m done washing it. And I might kiss you. If you want me to, that is.’

Warm water flowed over his scalp and melted last residues of tension away, leaving him languid and limp. He blinked his eyes open with supreme effort.

‘A kiss would be nice,’ he mumbled, and promptly drifted off to sleep.