Chapter 16: Temptation Waits
Hermione stood there petrified and Severus knew that any moment she would shake off the shock of her own words and probably try to take them back. He could see the color rising on her cheeks and she looked so miserable and embarrassed that he wanted to grab her and smother her with kisses, to tell her that it was okay. However, they had both drunk too much and he didn't want to start something that she could possibly regret later, in the cold light of day. So he stepped over the broken jar, leaned across the table and as her eyes widened even further in surprise, he planted a small, chaste kiss on her lower lip. A strangled whimper escaped her throat, but he lingered only for a few seconds. Pulling back felt like the hardest thing he had ever done, especially when he saw the hurt on her face. Her arms were half-raised, as if she had meant to hold him, but she quickly withdrew them and ducked her head. When she met his eyes again, she opened her mouth to speak, but he gently placed his fingers on her lips, stopping her short.
'Hermione, it is quite late and I am afraid we both drunk more than we should have. You need to rest for your classes tomorrow. Perhaps I could visit during the week?' He willed her to understand and apparently she did, because a tentative smile crept on her lips and her posture relaxed.
'You are right; I am feeling a bit tipsy. Um…is Wednesday all right with you? It's Halloween and I don't think they celebrate it around here. It would be nice to spend the holiday with someone who appreciates it.'
His eyes seemed to darken for a moment, but before she could determine for certain, he was smiling at her. 'I would like that very much,' he said softly. 'Owl me with details.'
Hermione took her satchel from the chair and made a dismayed sound.
'I never showed you my notes.'
'You can leave them here or show them to me next time, whichever you choose.' It is not only about the notes, you bloody know-it-all!
'Okay then…I'll be going. Goodnight, Severus.' She gave him a quick hug and pulled back with sparkling eyes. 'Thank you for a lovely evening.'
'Goodnight,' he barely managed to say before she had slipped out of the cottage.
Severus blinked a few times and pondered bashing his head against the table. The girl was going to be the end of him. With a heavy sigh he walked over to the door to set his wards. It was probably high time to make some good memories of Halloween to replace the ones that had been haunting him for years.
Hermione Apparated to the sitting room and walked to her bedroom. There her legs finally gave out and she fell on her bed, her body thrumming with desire and her mind a whirlwind of happiness and confusion. She had been so sure that he would mock her, that he would retreat from their tentative friendship. Then she thought he was letting her down easy with that little kiss. But his eyes held so much promise. She groaned in frustration. She had wanted to see where their strange relationship was going and had found out that it was heading steadily down the slippery slope. Severus was a master at controlling his emotions, but she had overwhelming evidence. After all, she had found him asleep and snuggling her cloak, he had used that ointment on her lip instead of simply healing it and then he had actually kissed her and touched her. The problem was that she wanted more. Even though the kiss he gave her involved minimal skin contact, she could feel it as if it was branded on her lips. Just the thought of kissing him the day before, with all her senses thrumming with extra life force, made her whimper and clench her thighs. She hoped she wouldn't make a fool of herself on Wednesday. She wondered about his expression when she mentioned Halloween. He never seemed to enjoy any holiday, but still…Then it dawned on her, loud and clear. Okay, Hermione, that was a world record of insensitivity. To commemorate the date when his best friend died in a horrible and violent way. Good job. She pondered her options; apologizing about her unfortunate choice of date did not seem a good idea. He always became prickly when Lily was mentioned. Maybe she could claim she was occupied on Wednesday? After half an hour of tossing in bed, thinking of a solution, she suddenly sat up. No, she wouldn't let him roll in misery all alone. It has been years; it was time for him to let go, because Lily wasn't ever coming back. Thinking of what she knew about the woman, Hermione felt certain that she wouldn't want Severus to hurt like he did. With her new decision to carry on and act as if everything was fine, she managed to finally fall asleep.
On Monday morning a bleary-eyed Hermione bumped into Viktor in front of the bathroom.
'Did you kiss?' were the first words out of his mouth.
'No, we didn't!' Not exactly…
'That explains your sour mood. Get on with it, I have to shower too.' Hermione growled at him and stumbled on to the bathroom.
Her day was the usual whirl of lectures and brewing and she managed to keep her concentration…most of the time. Halloween was fast approaching and Hermione realized with surprise that at least the dressing-up and pumpkin-carving part of the holiday had been adopted by the younger generation. Viktor tried to convince her to go with him and his friends to a Muggle club that always had Halloween decorations and was located in an old stone basement, so it would 'feel just like Hogwarts'. Hermione refused to acknowledge a comparison between Hogwarts and any type of basement; then she reluctantly admitted that she was going out with Severus and he probably wouldn't appreciate a stuffy, noisy night club. Viktor laughed so hard that she felt compelled to pinch him.
On Tuesday, walking home from class, Hermione stopped short in front of a small shop and burst into laughter. There were all sorts of kitchenware displayed on the window and the thing that drew her eye was a set of cookie cutters. There was a pumpkin, a witch silhouette, a cat and a bat. Quickly she purchased them and called Mrs Krum to ask for a cookie recipe as soon as she was home. Viktor translated for his mother and looked at Hermione with confusion.
'What possessed you to bake cookies? You haven't gone near the oven since the pork roast disaster.'
Hermione whipped her new possession out of the shopping bag. Viktor seemed even more confused, but obediently looked at the proffered item. His eyes lingered on the bat silhouette and his eyes widened.
'You wouldn't dare.'
'Aw come on, what is he going to do? Bite me?'
The bad pun was the last straw and both Hermione and Viktor were laughing on the living room floor, gasping for breath.
'Oh, this is going to be simply priceless. I wish I could see his face.'
'Well…if he can't appreciate the humour, that's too bad.'
When Viktor woke up in the morning, he found Hermione sleeping at the kitchen table, her face smeared with flour and other ingredients. In front of her was a tray of perfect bat-shaped cookies. They had little raisins for eyes. Viktor shook her awake and sent her to the bathroom to prepare for class. Being a gentleman, he did not comment on the amount of ruined cookies residing in the garbage bin. He did value all his appendages.
Severus heard the flutter of wings and opened the window. A small screech-owl neatly deposited a package on the windowsill and hooted impatiently.
'There is some ham on the table, help yourself,' Severus snapped at the bird and stared at the package. His name was written there in Hermione's neat script. He tore the paper and found a note with detailed directions to her flat. Underneath the note was a small box. He opened it. He stared. He blinked a few times and looked again, in case he had been wrong. Finally he took out one cookie and studied it carefully. The raisins were what did him in. Several small birds picking seed off the ground scattered in alarm from the booming laughter that issued from the cottage.
When he finally composed himself, he twirled his wand while staring down an innocent cookie. Finally inspiration dawned and with several flicks the cookie changed shape. He considered sending it via the owl, but decided to give it in person. Instead he penned a short note and tied it to the bird's leg. He closed the window and sat back on the table, drinking coffee and munching on cookies. They were definitely not the best he had tasted, but the thought that Hermione had made them for him made him feel embarrassingly warm on the inside.
In the evening, Hermione got back to the flat and found Viktor in a bear suit munching on a sandwich, and a note waiting for her on the table.
'I'll be there at seven and I shall remind you which word rhymes with "bat", you cheeky woman!'
He didn't seem angry at the joke, but it would be too much to expect that he wouldn't retaliate. Rereading the note one last time, she grinned and put it away. "Woman", not "girl".
Viktor eyed wistfully the note disappearing in her pocket, so she took mercy on him.
'He'll be here in an hour and the note wasn't cursed, so I suppose it went well. I'm going to shower. Be a good boy and think of a nice restaurant or something.'
Hermione grabbed her best hair care products and marched off into the bathroom. After bathing, she pondered what to wear. She didn't know what kind of establishment Viktor would recommend, but she knew that Severus would manage to blend in anywhere if he wore his now usual ensemble of black trousers and white shirt. She pursed her lips and took out her favourite indigo blue jeans. She didn't need a talking mirror to see that they made her legs seem longer and the bell bottoms made her hips smaller. She pulled on a dark green, long-sleeved tunic and smiled at her reflection. Perfect. Nothing too revealing, yet the green was a nice compliment to his House colors. She caressed the silver necklace from her parents and left the room.
The sight in the living room stopped her in her tracks. Apparently Severus was early and he was sitting on an armchair, chatting easily with Viktor despite the horrendous bear suit. He was in fact wearing his usual black and white, but his hair wasn't tied and was flowing freely down his back. Hermione's mouth went dry. She still couldn't get used to the change between the lank hair that framed his face at Hogwarts and the shiny clean locks he sported now.
Viktor saw her first and stood up, valiantly trying to hide his amusement. She blushed, chagrined that he had caught her staring. Severus turned around and her blush deepened at the appreciative glint in his eyes. Somehow, she felt the chances of getting a proper kiss soar into the stratosphere.
'Hermione, you look lovely.' He stood up and leaned in to kiss her cheek. Stratosphere? We are talking open space here!
'Thank you. So do you.'
He reached into his pocket and removed a small parcel.
'Thank you for the gift, I enjoyed it. Here is a small token, just to return the gesture.' His eyes were sparkling and she took the bundle with apprehension. Unwrapping the tissue paper, she stared and burst into peals of laughter. On the palm of her hand was a single cookie, shaped like a girl with a cat's head. Severus was sniggering himself and only Viktor stared in confusion at both of them.
'Okay, I get the bat reference. What's up with the cat?'
Hermione still couldn't catch her breath, so Severus answered.
'Mr Krum, what happened when instead of a human hair, an animal hair is added to Polyjuice Potion?'
'Well, the results are unpredictable, because it's not meant to be used for human to animal transformation…' Viktor trailed off. 'Hermione, what exactly did you turn yourself into?'
She just held up the cookie as an illustration, not trusting her voice.
'Let's not forget you also had a rather nice tail, Hermione.'
Her indignant answer was drowned by a knock on the door and Viktor's date arrived in all her dark-haired glory, dressed as a pirate. While Viktor went to greet the girl, Severus leaned in and whispered in Hermione's ear.
'You neglected to tell me that you share a flat with Mr Krum.'
Hermione's eyes widened and she turned to him.
'Oh, I'm sorry. You didn't think we were…'
'I might have, but he called me 'Katya' when he opened the door. He looked disappointed when he saw it was me, apparently he was expecting his date.' He smirked and directed his attention to Viktor, who was introducing the girl; her name was indeed Katya. In her red shirt and tight breeches, complete with fake sword in a scabbard, the girl looked stunning. Hermione felt a stab of general jealousy, but Severus did not spare her a second glance and Katya seemed to have eyes only for Viktor.
'Hermione, look here.' Viktor pointed to the table. 'I marked several restaurants on this map. All of them are good and close enough to walk. We have to be going, because I have to meet some people there. Are you sure you won't reconsider?'
'Reconsider what?' Severus' smooth voice interrupted.
'We are going to a Muggle night club, sir. I asked Hermione if you two wanted to come along, because it always has Halloween decorations and…well, it would be nice.'
Severus rubbed his chin and looked at Hermione.
'It could be interesting. I haven't been to a club in more than a decade. Hermione, are you feeling adventurous?'
'I don't mind.' As long as I'm with you. 'I'll take the map, in case we don't like it. And I am not dressing up as anything, Viktor, least of all a witch!'
Viktor raised his hands in defeat and motioned to the door.
'Let's go then.'
The club was a few blocks away, a small nondescript house with a barely visible wooden sign. Viktor pushed the door open and they descended to the basement level. They ended up in a large room. The ceiling was at least five meters high and a rickety staircase led to a wooden platform forming a second level of tables. There were pumpkin lanterns hanging everywhere and, together with a myriad of tea candles, they provided the only illumination. The music was subdued, the patrons were talking quietly and there was a large open space between the tables and the bar. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief; she was expecting something much more crowded and noisy, with neon lights and ear-splitting music. A soft laugh behind her made her turn around. Severus was perusing the surroundings with genuine interest.
'If someone told me this was a Wizarding bar, I would have been fooled for a moment before I saw the Muggle drinks. It seems rather pleasant, actually.' They settled at a small table, while Viktor went to greet his friends and show off Katya.
'Would you like something to drink?' Severus asked.
'Maybe just a glass of orange juice. I don't feel like drinking tonight.' She could swear his eyes flashed in the dark before he strode off towards the bar. Apparently he had no problems communicating with the barmaid, who seemed much too friendly in Hermione's opinion. Soon he was back at the table with orange juice for both of them.
'I don't feel like drinking either,' he said and Hermione felt her insides squirm. The rules were set; whatever happened between them, they would both be stone cold sober. No more excuses.
Severus watched the effects of his words on Hermione and suppressed a smirk. She looked lovely when she blushed and she seemed to do so quite often during the last few days. He was glad that they hadn't gone to a restaurant; dinner was such a formal affair and here they could just sit in the semi-darkness, sip their drinks and talk. The place was much more pleasant than he had expected; the music wasn't deafening and they actually played a lot of the things he used to listen to as a youth, before his father smashed his old record player against the wall. He frowned slightly and chased away the memory. Thinking of his father was definitely counterproductive to spending a pleasant evening, as well as the fact that he had been listening to this music before Hermione was even born. He saw her look at him and gave her a little smile.
'Mr Krum seems to have abandoned us.'
Hermione glanced aside to where Viktor was standing with his arm around Katya's waist, chatting with several boys she vaguely knew.
'He doesn't have much time to spend with his friends and he sees me every day. Besides, he would want to give us privacy, in case we want to talk about our…research.'
Severus felt warmth at the thought that she considered it "their" research.
'I don't think that would be wise. I understand that there are magical folk who frequent this place. We can talk the next time you visit.'
'As soon as I can, then,' Hermione beamed at him. Her enthusiasm was touching and he hoped that it was not solely related to research. He realized then that the goal which had been driving him for the last several months had stepped down to second place in the list of his priorities. For quite some time, the first and foremost thing occupying his thoughts had been Hermione. He could hear Vesna's gentle laughter in his mind. Well, old woman, isn't that what you wanted? If it all goes pear-shaped and she runs off with some young handsome lad, you are the one who will have to put me back together. Severus once again brushed off the maudlin thoughts and cast a non-verbal Muffliato under the table.
'Well, what did George choose to torture you with today?'
After half an hour they were so immersed in conversation that they barely paid attention to Viktor, who had come to check on them. He couldn't distinguish a single word though the bubble of the Muffliato, but one look at Hermione's animated face and the intense look in Snape's eyes told him all he needed to know. He shook his head in amusement and returned to Katya.
Sometime later, Severus was in the middle of pulverizing a theory, which Hermione supported with a vengeance probably just to get a rise out of him, when he was rudely interrupted by a loud cough. He glared at the intruder, only to realize that it was Krum.
'I'm sorry to disturb you, but we are leaving and I just wanted to let you know. So, um…bye, sir. Hermione, I won't be going home tonight.' He grinned sheepishly and glanced at Katya.
Hermione flashed an amused look at her friend and waved him off.
'Go on, have a good time.'
Severus looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it was already after midnight.
'Hermione, maybe we'd better leave too. You have classes tomorrow.'
She also glanced at the clock and made a face.
'Right, classes. I kind of forgot.'
They stood up and left the club. The air outside was chilling and cold gusts of wind were chasing dark clouds in the sky. Severus looked around to make sure they were alone and cast a quick warming charm on both of them.
'So, how are you going to get home?'
'I planned on walking…it's not very far.'
Severus chose not to comment on the freezing wind and offered his arm.
Walking with her was a pleasure. He liked the way she edged closer to him when the wind blew harder. At one particularly vicious gust of cold air, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her snugly to his side. Apparently she didn't mind, because she only sighed contently and wiggled even closer. He reveled in the feeling of this woman who didn't recoil from his touch. He wanted to protect her; suddenly the idea of letting her go when they reached her flat seemed impossible. However, they couldn't linger because of the cold and sooner than he would have liked they reached the building. Hermione finally looked at him and he saw that her lips were turning blue. Severus cursed himself for not reinforcing the warming charm and went for his wand, but thought better of it. Slowly, he unbuttoned his coat and held it open. Accepting the invitation, she wrapped her arms around his waist and burrowed her nose in his shirt, while he closed the coat as well as he could to keep her warm. He inhaled the scent of her hair and wished they could stay like that forever.
'You are so warm.' Her voice was muffled by his shirt.
'You smell delicious,' was all he managed to reply.
She slowly raised her face and he knew that it was now or never and he had to try, no matter what happened. He lowered his mouth and kissed her cold lips, at first slowly, giving her time to pull back, to say 'no'. But she wasn't pulling back and her mouth was soft and pliant and she was pressing into him, whimpering back in her throat, the sound he had been trying to erase from his mind, the sound that had been haunting him as he spent himself in his hand in his lonely narrow bed the night before. So he let go and kissed her with the desperation of a starving man, and she returned the kiss if not with skill, with great enthusiasm. He squeezed her to his chest while her tongue explored his mouth curiously, and she tasted divine and he wanted more.
At some point they had to break apart and breathe. Hermione buried her face in his shirt again and for one horrible moment he thought he had scared her.
'I'm not very good at this,' she murmured and he had to chuckle from relief.
'Why don't you let me be a judge of that?' He leant in for another kiss and lost himself in her warmth until a vicious gust of wind made them both shiver.
She pulled away and whispered.
'Please come upstairs. Just for a bit, it's freezing out here.'
After a moment of hesitation, he nodded.
'Yes, just for a bit.'
A/N: Okay, guys, that was the last chapter I had ready. From now on, it all depends on my muse and what RL decides to throw my way. I can't write right now, because my computer needs repairs and I'm working on a tiny laptop with a busted keyboard. I't no fun writing a whole paragraph just to see that half the letters are missing. I hope I will have my computer back by the middle of the week.
Thanks for all the lovely reviews!
Oh, and last but not least, this chapter's title belongs to Garbage.