Disclaimer: The same as the previous chapters.

Chapter 4

"Home". She called this natural hideout, that Severus Snape had chanced upon during one of the many clandestine jobs that he did for the Dark Lord. She, of all the people, called this place "Home". This cave, this underground water basin, this small interconnected cave formation was like Home. and not a house or a shelter or a place to halt and take a breather. But Home. Hermione Granger could make him go weak on his knees and cry his heart out with just a small monosyllabic word.

He had flipped her so that he could look into her eyes and judge how far honest she was being with him. Gulping down his winding insecurities, he had urged her, "Say it again." He watched in apt attention how her eyes grew wide, her iris shown in understanding as soon as she recognized the true weight those three words carried. Gripping onto his shoulders, bringing her lips over his parted one, staring deep into his eyes, unblinkingly, she confirmed, "This is Home." Their legs and arms had already tangled around each other like ivy, now their lips met, to melt in their joint passionate heat. She had felt those crazy butterflies flutter once again. His desire grew hard and strong nudging her eager and relentless to soak himself in the hidden river of her abyssal core.

His lips craved for dominance and she submitted freely. "Take it all if you please, for one enjoy the power I give to you so freely," her mind chanted with the count of invisible beads. She knew his insecurities ran deep till they rigorously caged his heart. A man who knew how to love as a lion lived like a snake coiled in the darkest part of magical existence. She had learned faster, if she could mirror his moves, he would crumple like wet sand in her fist. It was a power she did not relish but in turn, enjoyed because it gave him a reason to love life.

Holding on to his sharp tongue, she scratched her nails at his wet scalp. He could have begged for mercy, but instead, he hoisted her up and held her firm on his lap. She heard his voice echo in her frenzy mind, "may I?", "May I?". She broke off, giggling hysterically. He made a face and tried to push her away. Feeling sorry for bruising his battered ego, she tightened her arms around his neck, and bit his lower lip, leaving no room for him to move away. If he dared to even flinch, she would bite hard enough to break open a fresh wound that would bleed, if she could have her way!

Tasting new waters with this strange mental connection, because she was new to it, armed only with her bookish knowledge, she echoed back," Yes, you may," with all the earnestness she could muster. His eyes opened wide only to turn into doubtful slits, then he was inside her mindscape. She had to let go of his lips because his presence within her mind was nothing less than a coming storm. Overridden with desire, he had not only driven through her mind. He watched in slow motion as her head was thrown back, her nail dug into his wet shoulders, her legs flexed and tightened around his slender waist. He had lost his sanity and had impaled her.

As he propped his head upon his elbow, he continued to hover over her spent body. Her hair had a mind of its own, much like his. Those strands of both black and chestnut were stubborn and free-spirited. He had given her several reasons to forego rationality in the past hours. Riding her like a man possessed, being driven by her initial clumsiness, he found he liked her naivety, he relished at her imperfections. She had given his many scars an identity of their own and he had christened her skin with thousand such blotches of red marks. Even after worshipping her raised scar on her hand, that defined not even an iota of what Hermione Granger is, he felt ashamed. Ashamed because he could not give her a memorable first time.

She was as brave as a lioness could ever be, yet when he tore through the barrier that transformed her from a girl to a woman, he knew he must have committed a sin. Well, Fate had seasoned him well into an ace criminal! She had managed to tame her heart as her eyes looked back radiating her joy piercing him through and through, he looked away wincing.

The concern in her voice was apparent," what? I know, I was not…" her self-doubt had eaten away the rest of the sentence, but the meaning stabbed open a fresh wound right where his heart throbbed with residual passion. Alarmed, he had held her face, resting his temple over hers, he prayed to her soul, "It has nothing to do with you, it is rather because of me...I could not make it special for you…"

Her small hands tilted up his chin, her lips licked away his distress. She tasted herself on them, she tasted the seawater as well. She wanted to see what was waiting for her outside this heaven place. She mustered the courage to rebuke him.

Clearing her throat, schooling her face she started, "Severus Tobias Snape, this self-doubt, stops now, stops here and mark my words if you are ever going to dream of inviting it back here, a place I have declared as OUR HOME, you will be begging to Merlin for the rest of your life!" It was comical to watch his face morph itself into a dead fish, but she bit her cheek and continued," When I agreed to come along with you I thought it through, even if it took me just a couple of minutes, but I was prepared. You could take my virginity because I gave you permission to do so. You might think yourself as an old man unworthy of second glances, but trust me, if I could have my way, I could just keep looking at you for the rest of my life. Now, your sorry has wounded me, and I think you need to be punished thoroughly for that, so here is my deal."

Hermione paused to watch how confused and smacked Severus looked, that he had forgotten to pull up the guise of the dour man the world was so familiar with. Smiling back cheekily she mumbled close to his lips once again, knowing that her ghostly breathing turns him on in seconds. "Take me outside" and for the added effect, she dropped her voice," please."

In the back of his mind, he enjoyed her bossiness and loved watching how anger turned her pale skin as red as a burning ember. He kept on his act till she had the gall to say the word, "Please!" She was not the person to say please to him, he was at her beck and call from now on. Holding on to his chastised look, he pulled himself away from her a little further and mumbled, "As you say…" in seconds he had descended on her heart like a baiting panther ready to snap the head of an unsuspecting deer. Suck hard and long, creating the titillating vacuum that excited every cell of her being, feeling her spine arch up till she crashed against his bare skin, he smiled against her chest victorious. Her gasp, her groan, and her shuddering declaration that it was him who alone could bring her to the gates of heavenly orgasmic state made him transcend above the roaring ocean outside and catch hold of freedom once again.

But this thirst of the soul, of the skin or this beating heart of this marvelous mind, would remain unsatiated leaving room for many such clandestine mating of a wizard and a witch whom the world will start hunting for soon enough.