DISCLAIMER: All rights are awarded to JK Rowling and her affiliates.

This Changes Things

By

Romantic Idiot

Severus Snape was a very bad man. He knew this because he got hard simply from the sight of Hermione Granger sitting in his laboratory in a black turtleneck sweater, recording notes in her fat muggle notebook. She had her hair up in a ponytail as always, but it was very early in the morning, and some of the mass of bushy hair was escaping and trailing down her back. It had been a long night.

She sighed as he watched her, and he instantly looked back at the cauldron he was supposed to be watching.

'It's late, sir,' she said, and stretched. Severus clenched his fists inside his robes.

'Yes,' he said. 'You may go.'

She eyed him dubiously.

'You aren't though, are you?' she asked with a sigh.

'No,' he said honestly. 'I haven't finished yet.'

'Then I won't leave either,' she replied and left the room to find a cup of tea. He wondered if that feeling was relief or annoyance. Or something else entirely. He frowned.

Hermione returned with her cup of tea, and one for him, and returned to the desk to work. He purposefully cast his mind out a long way from the laboratory so he didn't think about the legs he could see under her skirt as she sat gracefully curled to the side on the stool. He focussed on the very intricate stirring procedures that were coming up.

The next time he emerged from his self-imposed reverie he found that Hermione had moved from the stool in front of his desk to his large recliner behind his desk. His jaw almost dropped.

She was sitting completely nonchalantly in his chair, with her feet up on the table, and a quill stuck in her hair. She was glaring down at the parchment she was reading and biting her lip.

'Miss Granger!' he barked. 'What do you think you are doing with your feet on my desk?'

She looked up, startled.

'Er, you said I could,' she said meekly, readjusting herself. 'I said, "is it okay if I sit up here?" and you said, "make yourself at home".'

He stared. Had he?

'Well, obviously I didn't mean your home,' he floundered.

'Oh,' she said, and blushed. 'I'm sorry. I'll move.'

Before he could say anything, she had gathered her things and was settling comfortably back against a wall, her legs crossed and her papers in her lap.

He really was a very bad man.

He nodded in distracted approval and they returned to their previous silent work. Except that his reverie had fled completely and he noticed every one of her unconscious movements. Her hair had begun to bother her again, and she constantly tucked it behind her ears. Her crossed legs must have been as uncomfortable as they looked, because she was constantly fidgeting and rearranging her position, affording him the occasional glimpse of something rather too high for him to ignore.

She seemed to have a crick in her neck, because she rubbed slowly at alternating sides as the night progressed. She suddenly stretched and arched her back, pushing hard at a pressure point in her lower back.

'Sir,' she said timidly. 'I think it's time for a break.'

He continued counting his stirs, but nodded vaguely. She smiled and disappeared into his small kitchenette and brought back tea and biscuits. He was very relieved to see this, and impatiently finished his important stirs. When he had, he triumphantly laid down his pewter spoon and leant back with a sigh.

'Here, sir,' Hermione said, coming forward and handing him a cup full of hot tea.

'Thank you,' he said fervently, sat down on her vacated stool and took a large sip. Which he almost spat out when he suddenly felt pressure on his shoulder blades and realised it was her hands. 'What are you doing, Miss Granger?' He asked tensely.

'Er – a massage,' she said quietly. 'Um, your back looked sore, that's all, but I can stop if you'd like...'

He didn't reply, because he knew very well that he shouldn't let her do this for him, but it felt so good. She was experienced and not afraid to put pressure on the bits that made him groan involuntarily.

Also, she had exquisite hands.

He had to concentrate very hard on not turning around and letting himself take her in his arms and kiss her. Did she know how very alluring she was? He was letting his thoughts get carried away when he realised she had slowly begun to ease the pressure on his shoulders. He caught sight of her in a glass cabinet behind his desk, and saw her staring vacantly off into the distance, her hands unconsciously roaming over his back instead.

He was most uncomfortable.

And he really was a very bad man, because he should stop her. And he didn't. Instead he sat there and pretended to be greatly enjoying his tea, completely unaware that his apprentice was exploring his shoulders.

He noticed when she finally came back to herself because she gave a little jolt and her hands fell away from his back.

'I'm sorry,' she whispered. 'I – forgot myself. I should just leave-'

'Miss Granger,' he said sternly. 'Stop. This work needs to be done, if you leave now, it will take longer. Pick up your tea.'

She paused on her way to the door, and surveyed him for a moment before ducking her head.

'Yes, sir,' she said, and did as she was told. She stood uncomfortably close to him while she drank, her eyes fixed carefully on the floor. He found it very hard to keep his attention on the laboratory and not to let his eyes roam over her form, and admire the way the fabric stretched over her breasts and hips. He knew if he let his attention drift to her legs he was done for.

'Do you think it's time to keep going?' she asked, and he suddenly had the feeling it wasn't the first time.

'Er – yes,' he said, and levitated the crockery back to the kitchen. She smiled at him and they wavered in the air.

'You and your foolish wandwaving,' she teased, and he was lucky the plates were already safely in the sink or he may just have kissed her right there.

'When necessary, Miss Granger,' he said, and turned away from her.

It was getting light when he finally put stasis spells on all the potions and roused the almost-somnambulant girl from behind his desk.

'Miss Granger,' he said quietly, but insistently into her ear. 'You may go to bed now.'

'In a moment,' she murmured. 'I think I've found something interesting.'

He looked down at the page she was bent over and blinked. That was definitely not a potions book.

He was such a bad man. Even Voldemort didn't compare. He was having some serious problems right now, and they were mostly due to the diagram in the book Hermione had found. And Hermione herself, of course. And why Hermione might think this page was something important.

'What have you found, Miss Granger?' he asked, amazed at the control in his voice. She turned her head and blinked at him. He saw realisation suddenly bloom in her eyes, and her eyes widened. She pulled away from him so suddenly her chair toppled, and she fell back against the desk, catching herself just in time.

'Sir!' she exclaimed. 'Oh, it was nothing. Just – just an interesting piece of trivia. Nothing really. Nothing you need to look at. Sir.' She added, and bit her lip.

'Are you sure?' he pursued, stepping forward. She nodded. He took a hold of her hips and heaved her up so she was standing in front of him again, her back pressed against his desk. He took in her wild eyes, her bitten lips, and the devilishly attractive flush that was taking over her face.

'Really?' he said. 'Because you did think you may have found something. And although it's late, if you think this is important, I'm willing to prolong going to bed.'

Did he imagine that, or did her breathing just hitch at the idea of him in bed? He watched her carefully as she slowly shook her head.

'Really, sir, it's nothing,' she said quietly, looking him in the eyes, watching him. 'Just … a hobby, I suppose.'

'A hobby?' he persisted, and insinuated himself closer to her. Dear Merlin, what was he doing? He was getting very worked up, and all they were doing was talking. 'What kind of hobby?'

'A hobby that will yield no results, I'm afraid,' she said, a little sadly.

'Strange choice of hobby,' he observed. 'One that won't accomplish anything.'

'Ah, well, perhaps hobby is the wrong word,' she said, and licked her lips. He resisted the urge to do it for her. 'More … an … obsession.' She looked at him from under her eyelashes. Could she know?

'An obsession,' he repeated.

'Yes,' she whispered. 'The kind of thing where you just can't help yourself, you know?'

She moved a little, and he could have sworn she was closer now, her hip pressing into him in a very pointed way.

'I thought you had more control, Miss Granger?' he managed.

'Oh, I do,' she said. 'This is a very special kind of obsession.'

'How so?' he said, and her hand moved from behind her to straighten her skirt, inadvertently (?) brushing over him.

'Well, it means a lot to me,' she said. 'Keeps me up at night, sometimes. But you wouldn't be interested in it, sir,' she said abruptly, and moved deftly away from between him and the desk. He felt bereft and let down. She moved towards the door.

'You could … show me this hobby sometime,' he said desperately, her hand on the door. 'A master should know what his apprentice is interested in.'

She cocked her head and considered him for a moment.

'I'm sure you know more about it than I do, sir,' she smiled. 'But I'll keep that in mind.'

And she left, leaving him with a significant problem. He folded down into his chair, and put his head into his hands. That had been very, very close.

He had her up against the desk again, pressed against his chest. Her breathing was shallow. He watched her chest rise under her white blouse.

'Tell me more about this hobby,' he demanded, his face inches from hers. 'I demand to know.'

She looked up into his eyes, that flush creeping across her face and over her neck.

'Well, sir,' she breathed. 'It's very involved. I have dreams.'

'What kind of dreams?' he asked, his breath ghosting over her face, stirring her curls.

'Vivid dreams,' she said. 'Ones where … are you sure you want to know?'

He pushed against her.

'I'm sure,' he said, and saw her swallow.

'Well, usually … I-I'm in your bed,' she glanced at him but he gave no reaction. 'And you – well, sometimes you're on top of me, and sometimes, I'm on top of you, and I unbutton your shirt, and slide my hands up over your sides, and … really, sir, I don't know if I should tell you.'

'I definitely think you should,' he said, his voice low. 'Because I think it would be very unfair to stop there.'

'Oh, okay,' she said, and with a quick glance at his face, she continued. 'Well, I take your shirt off all the way, and so you're lying underneath me, with your hair spread across the pillow. And I – I lean down and I … I kiss you, only not on your mouth, though I do that too,' she said hurriedly, like she thought he might be offended if she omitted that.

'I'm sure you do,' he murmured, and gave into the impulse to give a quick lick to her earlobe. 'Go on.'

She arched her neck for him to move lower, and he obliged. He felt her breathing quicken, and he reacted himself.

'Well, I um, I begin to unbuckle your belt, and slide your pants down,' she whispered. 'And I lick you, just lightly, over your tip, and then lick my lips so I'm moist for you, and then I slide my mouth down over you.'

He couldn't help himself, and groaned.

'Then, when you're very close, I take off my underwear, and lower myself down over you. And … and then I – I ride you, until you … come, inside me.'

'Is that all?' he asked, and she nodded.

'Most of the time,' she said. 'Though sometimes it goes on longer.'

'Well, there,' he said silkily, and much more steady than he felt. 'That wasn't so bad, was it?'

She shook her head mutely.

'You're a little wrong, though,' he said. 'And I'd hate for you to keep labouring under the same misapprehension.'

'Wrong, sir?' she asked, looking at him with confusion in her eyes.

'Oh yes,' he hissed, and kissed her, hard. 'And I'll have to show you exactly how it would happen.'

Severus woke with a hard impact, and realised he'd fallen asleep in his chair. He quickly established that he'd woken with a hard on and his hand down his pants. A second later he realised he wasn't alone, and that Hermione was standing in front of him with her mouth wide open and a flush spreading rapidly across her cheeks.

'I'm sorry, sir!' she exclaimed. 'I – it's 9 o'clock, and I thought the potions would need checking. But you seemed to have it … that is to say, you seem to have it all … in hand.' She finished.

He stood up as quickly as he could, removing his hand in the process, and trying to look as though she hadn't just caught him dreaming about her.

'Er … right,' he said. 'Um, well, why don't you … keep researching?'

'Right, sir,' she said, and moved towards him. He started.

'Er, why are you coming over here?'

'My notes,' she said, and gestured. 'They're still on the table.'

'Oh, right,' he said, and sat back down so she could reach them. She continued towards him and he let his head drop into his hands.

'Um, sir?' she asked, and he realised that she very close to him.

'What, Miss Granger?'

She looked surprised.

'I thought you'd stopped calling me that,' she said. He looked at her.

'Where did you get that idea?'

'Um,' she bit her lip. 'Oh, only that … in your sleep … it wasn't Miss Granger you were calling out, but er Hermione, and I just thought, well, it doesn't matter.'

He wished the world would open up underneath him, and then he noticed the sparkle in her eyes.

'You're lying,' he said bluntly and she laughed.

'I'm not,' she said sincerely, and he swallowed.

'How long were you watching?' he said weakly, falling back into his chair again.

'Oh, only a little while,' she assured him. 'I wonder what it is you wanted to know about me, though.'

'Oh god,' he said. 'You heard the whole thing.'

'Did I?' she said in delight. 'Maybe one day you'll actually ask me, then. Excuse me, sir, I have research to do.'

And she walked away again, leaving him there utterly confused.

'The potions are stable,' he announced later on. 'You may take a break.'

'Oh, brilliant,' she said, and stretched. He had to divert his eyes from the way her body moved in the thin white blouse. 'Sandwiches and tea, then?'

He made a face.

'Let's have something more substantial,' he said. 'We've been living off sandwiches for weeks.'

'Okay,' she said amiably. 'What would you like?'

'Scones,' he said hungrily. 'With lots of butter, and jam. And very strong black tea.'

Hermione laughed.

'So I'll just ask the elves for 'cholesterol on a platter', shall I?'

'What?' he asked her in confusion.

She smiled.

'Never mind,' she walked past him to get to the fireplace, and bent down in front of it.

Good Merlin and Sweet Nimue! Was the woman intending to test him today? He couldn't look away from the sight of her jean-clad arse bent over the fireplace.

'On its way,' she said, turning back, and caught him staring. 'Are you all right, sir?'

'Fine,' he coughed. She smiled.

'I'll just tidy up a bit,' she said, and began putting away ingredients. He watched her, feeling very bad, as she reached up high to put away the newts eyes, and didn't help her. 'Oh, good, lunch is here!' She exclaimed, and he looked towards the fireplace gratefully.

They sat on the floor to eat, transfiguring some cushions from kitchenette into thick blankets, and Severus could have sworn he saw Hermione stealing glances at him. A certain part of him was urging him to throw all caution to the wind and act on the damn stimulus. Surely the evidence was stacking up by now.

A silence followed the removal of their lunch, and Hermione stared thoughtfully at him for a moment.

'I think, if you're curious, you should ask me,' she said suddenly.

'Ask you what, Miss Granger?' he asked irritably.

'Hermione,' she reminded him cheekily. 'And ask me whatever it is you wanted to know. In the dream,' she added unnecessarily.

'It wasn't important,' he mumbled.

'Well, it must be, if it was in your dream,' she said.

'It wasn't!' he said. 'It was just the last thing I thought about before falling asleep. If you hadn't fallen asleep over that book just before you left …' he realised he'd said too much.

'Ah, the book!' she pounced. 'What do you want to know about it?'

'Nothing!' he growled, but she refused to be put off. She crawled across the rug towards him, and stared him in the eye.

'You want to know why I was looking at how to pleasure a man?' she asked, and he swallowed.

'What you do in your spare time is of no concern to me,' he managed, and tried to turn away, but she followed him, pushing her face into his personal space.

'Ask me, Severus,' she whispered to him, and he blinked.

'I didn't say you could –'

'I don't care,' she said softly. 'Ask me.'

He looked at her.

'Why were you looking at ways to pleasure a man in my laboratory?' he asked finally, defeated.

'Because I wanted you to catch me,' she replied simply. He looked at her suddenly.

'What? Why?'

'I wanted to know,' she said.

'Know what?'

'How it would affect you,' she said.

'Why?'

'Because,' she replied, 'I'm getting tired of you watching me. Something had to be going on, and once I figured out what it was I decided to test my theory.'

'Oh, very good,' he said in annoyance and begun to move away. 'You figured out that I am attracted to you, ten points to Gryffindor.'

'Shut up, Severus,' she said, and pulled him down to her level again. 'Look at me.'

He refused for a moment, but she did not allow him to ignore him. He stared at her levelly.

'I want you, Severus,' she whispered to him, and suddenly without knowing how, he was kissing her, and lowering her to the floor, and plunging his hands into her hair. Her hands were all over his back, in his hair, across his hips, on his face, touching him, holding him.

He gave a shudder of ecstasy as he slid his hands up under her blouse, and felt her warm curves. She gasped against his hands, and arched up to press herself more tightly against him. He unbuttoned her blouse and slipped it off her, nearly at the same time she divested him off his shirt.

'Hermione,' he breathed reverently, and she made a small noise at the sound. He didn't take his time removing her pants, and then she was revealed to him in her plain white underwear.

'Help me,' she murmured, fumbling at his belt, and he soon knelt before her, his tented boxers betraying his eagerness.

She reached for him, dipping cool fingers inside his pants, squeezing tightly but not too hard, and leaning forward to slip his boxers down his legs, and taking him into her mouth, just like in his dream.

He clenched his fists as he felt her rough tongue on his seam, and her soft lips sucking at his base. He couldn't restrain the deep grunts that came from him, and finally he pulled away, leaving her kneeling before him, her face a mirror of disappointment.

He didn't waste time with words, and instead lowered her back to the floor, and gently stroked at the slick wetness between her legs. She bit her lip, and let him continue, not quite slipping into her folds yet. Finally she thrust up and he slid into her warmth. He wanted to slide his fingers inside her, but knew the greatest pleasure would come if he waited.

'You. Are. Tease.' She gasped as he continued to tease her, stroking mercilessly at her sensitive places, watching her twitch and gasp.

'So are you, though you don't know it,' he said, and he rose up over her, slipping her underwear over her thighs. She bit her lip again at the sight of him, and pulled on his shoulders, dragging him down to her.

He paused a moment at her entrance, and looked at her eyes.

'This changes things,' he said and she laughed.

'Ten points to Slytherin,' she said.

'No, I mean…' he struggled to make himself understood.

'It's okay. I love you,' she said simply. 'This is okay.'

'You do?' he said in surprise. 'I thought-'

'It doesn't matter how you feel,' she said dismissively. 'I love you. And I wanted you to know. Now hurry up.'

'I love you too,' he said honestly, and slid inside her finally. He rested his head against her shoulder for a moment, and she held him tightly.

'It's okay, Severus,' she said quietly. 'Really. This is your time. Now hurry up!' She repeated. He smiled against her shoulder and did as he was told, moving carefully inside her.

He listened to the gasps he drove from her, and quickened his pace to match her for timing. She moved with him, holding him, and he realised it was okay, and he came.

'You did very well,' she said, a short time later, and he looked up at her.

'I hear a 'but' coming,' he said suspiciously.

'Oh, well, only a small one,' she assured him. 'But next time, could you find somewhere better than a stone floor?'

'I'll try,' he promised, and kissed her.

Author's Note

No, I did not come up with that one in my boyfriend's arms. Thank goodness for small mercies, hey? I was writing some original fiction, I think, and it wasn't time for the physical (read best ;D) part of that, so this happened instead.

I think they're a bit out of character, maybe a little fluffy at the end, but fluff's okay. So I hope everyone else thinks so too.

Also, some of you may notice that I've removed 'Confusing Confessions' from this site. It's not because of the 500 or so word flame, it's because I've thought about it and realised that the story was written purely for my own therapy, and is not really a good indication of my writing. I'd rather my other stories were read instead. Thanks to all who reviewed it, it made that flame a little easier to bare.

And I do appreciate all the reviews I get. I forget to thank you most of the time, but this thanks is very heartfelt.

Liz.