Chapter 72: The Notion Of Calm

The Tent, Uncharted Forest, Unknown World...

A sudden and slow dipping of the bed caused Hermione to awaken in the night to find that Severus Snape had returned from his nighttime patrol. It had crossed the witch's sleep filled mind that he would have had to get back into the practice of moving about in the dark due to their imminent return to Hogwarts. It almost made her smile to not how much better he had been at swooping down on unsuspecting students whom had already been making whispers about his uncanny abilities before he had been infected with Lycanthropy. The Potions Professor had been naked when he slid his muscle ripped body between the crisp white sheets of their enchanted bed and close to her own. It seemed he had calmed a great deal since leaving the summit of werewolves and it was possibly due to her being around so many males at once.

Softly, slowly...he kissed her exposed shoulder as she lied on her side with her back to him. He leaned down taking in the scent of her unruly brown locks as he gently grazed the flesh of her neck with his soft and precise kisses. A low groan escaped him as he further molded his tense body against her own feeling the softness of her backside press into his rapidly enlarging cock.

"Severus." moaned Hermione breathless as her werewolf lover pulled her closer in his increasingly powerful grip.

"Hermione." he whispered, his words had been like dripping honey as they poured into her ear-canal.

A low groan escaped him as the heated contact seemed to intensify his longing for her.

The coming days were sure to be filled with battles of every sort as the war progressed and the knowledge that they'd have very little time to spend together seemed to make this moment all the more precious to them.

"I love you." said Hermione gently rolling onto her side to face him.

"I love you too." replied Snape meeting her seemingly sorrowful amber eyes.

It was all too apparent that she had been thinking the same as he about the impending war.

"What's going to happen to us?" she asked not daring to lose eye contact for even a moment. "I mean it's obvious something is going on in the wizarding world...Umbridge has barrier patrols searching for half-bloods...Dumbledore is...well he's not very trustworthy if he's consorting with strange entities for access to more resources of power and Vol...you know who is aware that you're a werewolf...an Alpha werewolf at that."

Snape sighed knowing all too well what she was concerned about.

"Once this war is over...my condition will be known by the entire wizarding world." he said making no attempts to soften the words they both knew to be true."I will no longer be welcome within the wizarding world...and banished from Hogwarts."

"But Lupin is a Professor surely..." began Hermione horrified at the prospect of him not being her Potions Professor anymore.

"He too will be banished due to Umbridge's policies." replied Snape realistically speaking. "If I even survive the war...and there is no guarantee that it will be so given my status as Alpha I will be hunted even above all the others of my kind."

"There has to be something we can do." said Hermione sitting up in alarm.

Snape sighed and stroked her supple young cheek.

"No." he replied. "I'm afraid there isn't...there is a reason I am the only Alpha in a great many years."

"Severus." said Hermione unsure she wanted to continue this conversation.

"Enough of the future." said Snape pulling her close to him once more. "I would much rather speak of the here and now."

Tears streamed down the young witch's cheeks as she threw herself into his arms not wishing to let him go.

"It'll be alright." said The Potions Master. "All that matters to me is that you are safe behind the walls of Hogwarts Castle."

"I won't stay there if you are forced to leave." said Hermione determined.

"Hermione." began Snape knowing full well how determined his mate could be. "You will stay where Dumbledore can care for you."

"I go where you go." replied the ever stubborn Gryffindor witch.

Snape sighed once more shaking his head as he noted her unwavering resolve.

"So be it." he replied not at all surprised by her reaction.

Hermione seemed pleased to have won the argument.

Snape crushed his pale lips into her soft pink ones once more attempting to steer the conversation toward more pleasant matters.

Closing her eyes as she felt his skillful and deliberate kiss along her neck, Hermione did her best to enjoy the time they had here together on there side of the tent.

"Severus." she said in a rather breathless moan as he slid his body between her slender thighs.

"You are mine witch." said Snape groaning as his body came in contact with hers. "Never forget that."

Hermione was restricted to a short gasp as her werewolf lover proceeded to claim her once more if only to remind her of the intensity of their connection. Snape's obsidian orbs met her amber ones and she couldn't look away nor did she wish to. The bed below them had gotten a run got it's galleons in terms of durability as Severus began to thrust into her as if his life depended upon it.

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The Tent, Tonks And Lupin's Side, Unknown World...

The late hour had little effect on Remus Lupin as he paced the floor staring out along the flaps of the well constructed tent into the vast open sky. Never in his life had he been so at peace and yet so terrified at the same time. Tonks had been sleeping peacefully all things considered and it made the soon to be father smile. He had not known what the future had in store for the two of them but he had learned from Severus and Hermione's example that no challenge would be too great if they remained together.

Thinking back to how his relationship with his former student began, Lupin could only shake his head. Apparently, great minds did think alike in terms of two wizarding professors stricken with lycanthropy choosing their students as life-long mates.

Moving toward the bed, Lupin silently vowed that he'd be there for his child should he survive the events of the wizarding war against Voldemort. With Severus' influence he had never felt so in control of his beast side. There had not been a single mishap in terms of attacking another human being wizard, witch or muggle alike and it was comforting.

Hermione had still been angry with him, he could tell by how she glared at him over their shared meal. Severus had gotten a kick out of watching her barely hold back her itchy wand hand. It would take a great amount of time to prove to the rather tough witch that he meant no harm when he took off when faced with the knowledge of his child's impending birth.

In the days before Severus was reborn as an Alpha, many werewolves left their human families to keep from harming the little ones by accident when caught off guard by the full moon.

Lupin had swore to himself that he'd never go through the agony his own parents went through with him.

Once more the sheepish werewolf looked over his sleeping mate.

He knew he'd lay down and die for the slumbering witch and his unborn child if it meant keeping them safe. It seemed to amuse him to no end that Severus Snape had probably felt the same way about Hermione and Draco.

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The Tent, Snape And Hermione's Side, Uncharted Forest, Unknown World...

A deep howl escaped the pale lips of Severus Snape as he gripped the bed below Hermione as the sweat blasted young witch attempted to catch her breath beneath him. The Potions Master kissed her several times along her heated neck and chest before falling onto his side of the bed and drifting off to sleep in the wake of his own heated exhaustion.

The quiet of the night had been something of a welcomed change of pace given all they had gone through in the past few weeks but there was always the knowledge that something terrible was on the horizon lingering as they slept.

Snape shifted in bed until his body was once more pressed into Hermione's slender form as she was resting comfortably in his waiting arms. He kissed the top of her bushy head as if on instinct and allowed his slumber to continue.

If this was the last night he would have peace in the company of his young lover, then he wished to enjoy it as much as possible.