Chapter 60: The Resting Of Bones

Snape's Quarters, Slytherin Dungeons, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World....

Mid-morning found Hermione Granger once again wrapped in the arms of Severus Snape. The scent of jasmine clashing with sweat, herbs, and fresh earth. The aforementioned wizard had been sleeping peacefully on is back with his black sheet pulled up to his waistline. The dark sheet provided a unique backdrop to his pale complexion. His raven hair blending in with the darkness of his pillowcase. He possessively held Hermione with his arm around her waist and his finger pressing firmly into her hip. She smiled knowing that if she moved even an inch toward the edge of the bed Severus would awaken. He had been more than a little reluctant to let her go anywhere once he got her into his bed. She didn't doubt that the five years they had been apart had still been fresh in his mind.

He awoke with her every movement as if he had still been waiting for her to disappear back into his dreams. Feeling her heartache at the thought of what it must have been like for the poor wizard when she had left Hogwarts not knowing if he would ever see her again. She leaned down softly stroking his sleeping face. She considered just how lucky she had been in all of this.

The sandy brown haired witch recalled what it had been like when Sebastian protected her from the death eater McNair back at Hogsmeade. She could never understand how a young wizard she hardly knew could risk death for her. Knowing now that it had been Severus the whole time made it all make sense. He had protected her on instinct because it was what he had always done.

She thought back to why he had been the only boy that she had ever been interested in on such a strange level. Even when they were at each other's throats there was a strange pull making it impossible to steer clear of him. She knew she care for him a great deal when he had been missing after being scolded by McGonagall, but it wasn't until he came for her after the death eaters had kidnapped her that she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she had loved the boy Sebastian Prince.

Although she couldn't recall much of the details, she had dreamed that her Professor Snape had kissed her in a bid to save her life and when LeStrange's trickery nearly locked him away forever in a demon realm she stood before The Mirror of Erised only to see the image of Severus Snape in refection of her greatest desire.

Yes. Hermione had been a very lucky witch indeed that their love had managed to blossom and survive all of that chaos.

The Gryffindor witch kissed a sleeping Severus straddling his body in the process. Feeling her weight shift in the bed and the heat in her kiss, Snape opened his eyes taking in the sight of the beautiful naked witch sitting on his chest with her knees on opposite sides of his body. He brought his hands up to her hips gripping them as she continued to kiss him pressing her exposed breasts against his own bare pale chest.

"Good morning." she said pleasantly.

"Good morning." replied Snape still gripping her hips.

"It seems we are both completely free today." said Hermione running her hands along his chest.

Snape took in a breath in reaction to her soft touch against his old scars.

"Indeed we are." he replied.

"It's been difficult getting you all to myself." said Hermione leaning down into his ear.

"I could only imagine what you had planned if the opportunity did arise." he replied.

"Why waste time imagining when I can show you?" asked Hermione.

Snape let out a groan feeling the fiery young witch impale herself on his erection. It was the first time that Hermione had ever taken charge in when it came to the physical aspect of their relationship. She had always been perfectly happy letting him lead their little dance even when they were both students.

She let out a moan that seemed to heighten the sensation of being embedded within her warm body.

"Hermione." he said in a low whisper.

"Severus." she replied.

He reached up and pulled her into a passionate kiss. When he let her go returning to his hold on her hips, Hermione began rocking them taking him deeper as she moved. Snape groaned losing himself in the feelings she had been stirring.

"I love you so much Severus." she said. "I never want to spend another day without you."

He groan in reply still too lost in her warmth to form any words. The Potions Professor looked up at the beautiful young witch who had been riding him. Her hair a mess and her soft and supple skin glistening from sweat.

"So beautiful." he said softly reeling from the pleasure coursing through him.

He ran his hands along her exposed breasts as they bounced in reaction to her movements.

"Hermione." he said again.

As the witch continued, need over took Severus and he began bucking his hips in a bid to meet her halfway. The result of the his actions made Hermione cry out unable to keep her rhythm. Snape gripped her by the wrists and maneuvered until her back was pressed against the mattress. Her amber eyes filled with heat and longing.

The dour wizard pinned her hands above her head as he thrust into her losing himself in the feel of her body. He looked down at her beautiful face covered by her sweat soaked sandy brown hair. Her cheeks stained by streams of tears. Snape continued caught off guard by her reaction.

"Am I hurting you?" he asked slowing his thrusts unable to stop them completely.

"No." replied Hermione writhing beneath him. "Keep going."

She wrapped her legs around him tightly in a bid to make him go faster.

"Then why are you crying?" he asked still thrusting slowly.

"I was just lost in my thought for a moment." replied Hermione.

Snape stopped moving all together glaring down at the witch. She heard him whisper the words before she could protest his lack of movement.

"legilimens." he said.

{ Severus Snape had been treated to a barrage of images depicting himself, Hermione, and Sebastian Prince. Then he saw her lying in the infirmary the night of the final battle. She had taken a nasty hex but walked away with her life and a minor scar so minor that it could hardly be considered visible. It hit her courtesy of a random death eater before Molly Weasley intervened saving her life.

Snape saw himself suddenly brought into the infirmary by Albus Dumbledore himself. The wizard had given poor Poppy a fright when he appeared carrying a nearly unconscious Severus Snape. Up until that point everyone thought Dumbledore had been dead and Snape a murderer. The amber eyes of the young Gryffindor witch never left the Potions Professor.

"Poppy save him!" shouted Dumbledore.

The witch had never seen the usually pleasant man look so upset.

"I-I how do I know you are The Headmaster and this isn't some death eater trick?" asked a confused and still very frightened Poppy Pomfrey.

Dumbledore glared at her.

"I solemnly swear that I am Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." he said.

Poppy looked at him as the swirl of magic surrounded her indicating that he had indeed been The Headmaster.

"Albus." said Poppy in disbelief. "We all thought you were..."

"I know." he cut her off. "Now is not the time Poppy, Severus is in need of your skills...Nagini's bite and a loss of blood seem to be the problem."

Poppy looked over the young wizard with regret and sorrow in her eyes.

"Set him down Albus I'll get to work." she said.

Hermione watched the old med-witch work her magic restoring Snape with a few healing charms and blood replenisher potion as well as anti-venom, a fortunate supply had been from Snape's own foresight after an Auror was bitten by Nagini after refusing to comply with Voldemort's request for information on the Ministry of Magic.

The Gryffindor witch watched as Poppy saved the life of the man she had fallen so helplessly in love with.

When both Dumbledore and Poppy had been absent in the dead of night. Hermione ventured toward the sleeping Professor. He had looked strangely at peace when she saw him up close. His menacing appearance reduced in the wake of his fragile state.

As if driven by an impulse she could not fathom, Hermione brought her soft pink lips over his and kissed him rather timidly. When he shifted in his sleep Hermione bolted back to her own bed trying to stifled the school girl giggles that threatened to spill out as she processed the knowledge that she kissed the snarkiest man in the wizarding world.

Snape smiled at the rather bold gesture from the young witch. }

Severus looked down at Hermione for a moment before he captured her lips in a passionate kiss. She moaned as he started thrusting into her once more. They both became lost in the sensations as Snape increased his pace.

"Hermione." he whispered softly in her ear.

"Severus." she said in a breathless whisper.

He felt her nails digging into the flesh of his pale back like so many times before. Hour after hour passed before Hermione felt the rush of her release rip through her pulling the release from Severus at the same time. The potions Professor collapsed onto the witch feeling his strength drained. When the pulsing subsided he lay in bed beside her just as before. The heat radiating off both of their bodies.

"I never forgot about that kiss." he said breaking the silence between them. "Nor did I stop thinking about you...witch."

Hermione looked at him realizing that he was talking about the first time she kissed him.

"I fell in love with you that day." she said resting her head on his pale chest. "I can't explain why."

"You don't need to." he replied. "It's obvious those feelings carried over when you and I both believed I was Sebastian Prince."

Hermione sighed.

"I imagine that's what it was too." she replied.

Snape took her hand and put it up to his pale lips. She watched as he kissed it softly.

"Thank you." he said.

"What for?" asked Hermione.

"You were the first person to ever show me gratitude for anything that I have done." he replied. "I suppose it is equally fair to say that you are the first girl that actually wanted to kiss me without any strings attached."

Hermione kissed him passionately once more. She couldn't imagine what it had been like for him when he first attended Hogwarts. She had known that other students could be cruel at times but her school days had been no where near as insane as his.

"Thank you." she said.

"What ever for?" he asked.

"For saving my life and the lives of countless others when you decided to stop Voldemort." said Hermione. "I don't care what your reasons were, I'm just glad you did it."

"Cheeky witch." said Snape returning her kiss.

Mere seconds later they were asleep.

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Later...

Both Snape and Hermione awakened to find that they had both been starving. Snape ordered food from the kitchens slightly amused by the looks Hermione had been giving when it came to using the house elves. They amused themselves with stories about their various classes.

Snape teased Hermione about the incident with cat fur in her polyjuice potion, which he had to administer the antidote to.

"That's not funny." said Hermione folding her arms across her chest.

"On the contrary I find it quite amusing." replied Snape.

"Me walking around with fur and a tail is hardly amusing." replied Hermione still annoyed.

"Served you right for stealing from my stores." replied Snape un-phased.

"Fine, then it served you right when I turned you into a frog." replied Hermione.

Snape glared at her.

"Come to think of it you did look better with your hair a mess and a tail trailing behind you." he said.

"I liked you better when you were green." spat Hermione.

"Insufferable-Know-it-all." said Snape.

"Slytherin Git." replied Hermione.

Snape pinned her down with her back pressed against the mattress and her hands above her head.

"You got a big mouth Granger." he said glaring at her.

"I think your robes looked better pink and you with honey blond highlights." she replied.

Horrified at the image Snape exacted his revenge by kissing her passionately. It wasn't long before they were sweating beneath the black sheets trying to out do each other in a more constructive manner. After a few hours they agreed on it being a tie and passed out wrapped in each others arms. It seemed that both The Potions Master and The Charms Mistress had been afraid to let each other go even in sleep for fear that it would have all just been another dream.

Apparently, spending the past five years apart had been fresh in both their minds.