In the Prefect's Bathroom

The door to the softly-lit bathroom opened for a moment, then closed gently. At first it seemed the wind had somehow blown it inward, but then Hermione Granger pulled off Harry's Invisibility Cloak, looked around the white marble bathroom, and smiled.

She was dressed in a bathrobe and furry slippers. A large towel was tucked under her arm. She looked up at the splendid candle-filled chandelier which spread a beautiful flicker glow, then at the long, linen curtains hanging at the windows. An enormous pile of fluffy white towels rested in a corner. She hadn't known those were there, or she wouldn't have brought her own.

What dominated this bathroom was the tub. It was like a rectangular swimming pool sunk into the middle of the floor. Almost a hundred golden spigots, each encrusted with a different colored jewel ringed the pool's edge, and there was a diving board at one end. On the wall was a gold-framed painting of a sleeping blonde mermaid. She was resting on a rock and her long hair covered her face, fluttering every time she breathed out.

Hermione had heard about the Prefect's Bathroom, but this was the first time she'd ever entered it. It was the ultimate in luxury bathing. She put down the towel and cloak by the edge of the pool, knelt and turned on a couple of the spigots. She immediately could tell they all had different kinds of bubble bath coming out of them. Some foamy, some with huge multicolored bubbles and one sent lovely clouds floating over the pool.

Suddenly, Hermione thought she heard something. She quickly turned off the taps and ran to the large stack of towels and hid behind them. She'd left the towel and the cloak by the far end of the pool. She hoped whoever was outside didn't notice. She drew back as the door opened, then peeked out and turned ashen.

It was Professor Snape, dressed in a black housecoat and slippers. He had a Slytherin green towel tucked under his arm. He stopped for a moment and looked around the marble bathroom suspiciously. Hermione closed her eyes and held her breath, praying he wouldn't be able to smell her with his huge honker. Snape's eyes narrowed as they fell on the towel and crumpled up fabric next to it at the far end of the pool, but he didn't go to investigate. He probably thought someone left the items there. He looked down at the wetness in the tub, cocking his head for a moment, then looked around again. Clouds were dissipating over the pool itself.

Snape stood there a moment, then put down his own towel, knelt and turned on a spigot. Then he deliberately walked down a ways and turned another on. This was followed by one more spigot. He stood there, staring down at the pool as it quickly filled. It had to be enhanced by magic.

Hermione opened her eyes and peeked out again. The professor was standing with his back to her, looking down into the pool. She could see his legs. They were slender, pale and sparsely covered with black hair. He stepped out of his slippers and she drew back a little. Then she peeked out again and covered her mouth as he let his robe slide down his arms and drop to the floor.

Snape was naked, and Hermione couldn't seem to take her eyes off of him. She should have been mortified, but curiosity coursed through her. He was very lean, and his back—scarred. But his buttocks were tight with little indentations and the back of his legs, sinewy. He had black hair on his arms, too. Hermione stared at him, willing him to turn. But Snape didn't turn. He walked around to the spigots, turning them off, but his thigh was in the way and she couldn't see his goods. But he moved just as gracefully naked as he did in his robes. There was a strength to his slight build.

Hermione felt herself getting a bit warm.

Suddenly, Snape dove into the pool with hardly a splash, reappearing a distance away in the shallow part, rising covered in foamy bubbles. He was facing her now, suds and water running down his body, but she still couldn't see all of him. But he had a surprisingly attractive body, despite the scars on his back and—his belly and chest. His hair was plastered to his head and he walked back into the deep end and cut easily through the water, swimming about, the steam rising, partially hiding him from view.

Finally, he began to bathe. Hermione couldn't tell where the washcloth came from, but he moved it over his pale body slowly, almost sensually, his eyes closed. He was facing her again, but the water came up to his waist, so she still couldn't see anything.

"Move to the shallower part," she thought, dying to see everything. There was a fine line of pubic hair leading down his lower belly into the water, but his chest was hairless. She watched him bathe for twenty minutes before he exited the pool, lifting the towel and drying himself carefully. But something was always in the way of the goodies. His leg, the towel, the way he turned his body. It was frustrating. How could she be a peeping Thomasina if she had nothing to peek at? Snape wrapped the towel around his waist, tucking it in, then looked directly at the stack of towels.

Hermione nearly gasped and jerked her head back.

"I know you're there," Snape's voice said softly.

Oh no!

A/N: Just a little something I wrote based on this pic I saw online yesterday. FF doesn't let me put links in, but if you google "ms-figg livejournal" and scroll down to the entry that says "Good lord, Look at this Picture of Snape" you'll see the link.