"There were no complaints about my potions were there?"

Hermione flushed, hiding it as well as she could manage behind her wine glass. "I'm surprised it took you this long to figure out. I thought it would have been obvious the moment I sent the note."

He snorted into his own glass, taking a measurable gulp before responding, "I had a feeling, but couldn't withhold my ego being so scorned."

Hermione giggled softly, spearing the rather delicious ricotta stuffed agnolotti and popping it into her mouth. The restaurant was quiet that evening, only a handful of other patrons were littered throughout the room and yet they nearly fell over themselves to stare when they were escorted to their table.

Even years after the war, everyone loved to catch a glimpse of the golden trio, and one currently out and about with the revered Severus Snape was too much to contain themselves. Luckily the owner, at the request of her dark haired guest, led them somewhere semiprivate to enjoy each other's company.

"Well, Severus, I for one am ever grateful to your over inflated ego," she said with a daring smirk.

He answered with one of his own, "As am I."

After their meal had passed in amicable light conversation, a bottle of wine depleted between the two of them, Severus ordered a crème brulee to split between them.

As the server left, Hermione couldn't help but to let another wry smirk to grace her features, "Severus Snape enjoys dessert? What the students at Hogwarts during your time wouldn't have given to know that."

His thumb, hand previously resting on the table innocuously close to her own, ghosted across the back of her hand sensually, "I think, Hermione, you will find there are a great many pleasures that I enjoy."

The deep baritone of his voice, whispered low so no prying ears could catch what was said, nearly stroked her bare skin itself. The feel of his cock roughly slamming into her immediately came to the forefront of her mind and nearly made her whimper.

His eyes bore into hers, and she knew he could see what she was thinking, regardless of his Legilimency. Her breathing quickened slightly, the gentle ghosting of his thumb never ceasing as he stared into her. Heat rose to her cheeks, flushed not with embarrassment but with desire. He knew and continued his gentle stroking, fanning the flames of her arousal with a miniscule touch.

The dessert arriving startled the pair, each pulling their hands apart. Severus was the first to crack the surface of it and take the first bite. A low moan rumbled from his chest, making Hermione clench her thighs shut as a wave of fluid coated the ache between her legs. "Now that is divine."

Hermione dug in to keep from groaning aloud at the wizard's obvious delight. She was already wound up from their previous bout of quick hard sex on her patrons' table (something she had NEVER done before), and now he was making the most delicious of little sounds and expressions as he enjoyed practically the whole dish on his own. Hermione could barely swallow through her need, and the hunger she felt needed a different sort of nourishment.

When the last morsel had been scooped and savored, his dark eyes fastened on hers, "You didn't have much… "

She laughed lightly, "Well I get more than enough sweets at the shop not that that would have mattered. I feared for the safety of my hand near your sweet treat."

A small blush rose to his cheeks that he quickly quashed with a smirk, "I promise, Hermione, I'll only bite when you beg for it." Her breathing hitched and this time she did let out a small noise, a near whimper. "I think though, we should have a nightcap at my place to rectify being so greedy and only thinking of my own needs."

The double entendre was not lost on her as she stared at him, her heart skittering to a break neck speed. There was no doubt she wanted him, again, desperately between her thighs, but she wanted far more from the intriguing man than just a night of slated desire.

Seeing her hesitation, Severus reached for her hand once again, "It is not an offer I'm making lightly; no one has ever been to my current residence."

The sincerity in his voice, and the emotion he allowed to show through his eyes, nearly made her heart melt. This man, who had spent so much of his life shrouded in secrecy and lies, who had sacrificed nearly everything for the love of a woman who had died before she herself had even been able to perform her first bout of accidental magic, wished to take her to his home.

She nodded and smirked at his agape mouth when he asked for the bill and been promptly informed it had already been dealt with. His glare zeroed in on her, "I invited YOU to dinner, its only fair that I pay."

As they both rose and donned their cloaks, Hermione moved in close, giving his hand a squeeze and whispering in his ear, "I think, since I tricked you into coming to see me in the first place, it's only fair that I compensated you somehow."

His voice, husky with lust, responded just as lowly, "I believe I've been adequately compensated for your impertinence."

She laughed loudly as they stepped out onto the nearly empty streets, "Adequate? Is that all you think it was?"

In a flash, his arms were wrapped securely around her waist, his body pressed firmly against hers, and his breath hot against her neck, "The night is still young, Hermione." Without waiting for a reply, his crack of apparation spirited them away.

The first thing she noticed about his home was that it was not decorated in nearly as much green and silver as she would have thought. The main foyer was brightly lit, an intricate royal blue carpet led into the main room, sparse and littered with books, open notes and quills on a cedar desk, and a luxurious looking white chesterfield sofa. Frankly, she couldn't keep her eyes trained on anything in the room for long, hoping to drink in as much detail as she could about the man beside her.

With a curt flourish of his wand, a few books found their way to their place on the shelves lining one wall, and the notes on his desk tidied themselves. "My apologies for the disarray, I was not expecting … this outcome," he said as he helped her out of her cloak.

Hermione snorted softly, "If you believe this to be reason for apologies then you've never lived in a tent with Ron and Harry."

He rolled his eyes, "Thank the heavens for small miracles."

She continued to look about the room, trailing her hand along the spines of several books and scanning their titles, "This is quite an impressive collection Severus."

His eyes were trained on her, as if he wasn't sure what he should do next, his hands were clasped behind his back in a formal manner and his posture was rigid. It was clear this was a new and uncomfortable experience for him. He cleared his throat, "I'll leave you to satiate your curiosities and bring us something to drink."

She smiled brightly at him and nodded, and then she was alone in his sitting room. The sitting room of one Severus Snape, the man she was most definitely going to fuck senseless tonight. She nearly giggled at the absurdity of it all. If Ron and Harry knew they might have an aneurism trying to make sense of it all. But despite how odd the situation seemed, it felt right, and there was no doubt she was more than attracted to him.

She walked the room, coming across a few mounted pictures, one of a severe looking woman she knew to be his mother, remembering the clipping of Elien Prince she'd taken from the library in her sixth year. Another photo was of the Order, a picture taken after the war, her own younger smiling face waved up at her as Ron gave her a kiss on the cheek and Harry slung an arm around Ginny. She looked at all the other faces and sighed a heavy breath, so many they had lost that day, Tonks and Remus should have been in that picture. Severus should have been there.

One photo was merely a frame on the wall and curiously she stroked its edges, glancing at the name beneath, Albus Dumbledore. Hermione furrowed her brow, confused.

"I don't think now would be an appropriate time to call on him," Severus said directly behind her.

Hermione jumped and let out a squeak of fright before slapping his chest lightly, "Severus Snape don't you make ANY noise when you move?!"

He smirked, "Sorry, old habits."

She accepted the tumbler of firewhiskey and took a small sip before looking back at the empty portrait, "You mean … he can visit you?"

Severus nodded, sipping his own drink, "It was at his request, and I granted him permission so long as he wasn't hovering over me all hours of the day."

Hermione shook her head, "I don't understand, I thought once your debt was paid, once you had made it through this, you would never wish to see anyone of us who had been involved again."

Severus looked down into his drink and nodded solemnly, "I did not. I was not meant to survive this war and when I did I was angry. How was I to live with myself after all the things I've done, the lives I've taken, directly and indirectly." He scowled, knocking back the rest of his drink. "And then on top of it all they gave me a fucking medal."

"Severus," Hermione pleaded, gripping his forearm lightly, "You deserved that medal and so much more. No one could even fathom how much you sacrificed for us."

She could see his guard rising, the walls he had carefully constructed around himself shifting into place, "Well, after coming back from my excursions, I was … alone. Talking to Albus didn't seem so bad, although he does have a knack for interrupting at the worst moments."

Hermione laughed softly, "Yes, I can picture that."

He placed both their empty tumblers on the desk, "As shocking as this may seem, I don't think I wish to talk about our departed Headmaster any longer."

His arms snaked around her waist, pulling her to his chest, their lips barely a fraction away, and she could smell the firewhiskey tinting his breath, making her nearly dizzy with need. His eyes were heavy on hers, lidded with desire and lust, all previous insecurities gone.

Her heart raced as his lips caught hers in a soft kiss, betraying none of the need that she had just seen in his eyes before. It was a lazy slow kiss, his tongue teasing against hers, coaxing it to dance. His hand slipped down her back, dragging the zipper of her dress as well as unclasping her bra with a simple flick of his fingers.

She fisted her hands in the front of his robes and whimpered against him. Since when was Severus Snape so good at undressing a woman? It was fluid, effortless, the only interruption brought on when he raised the dress over her head and broke their kiss. But she was not left wanting as his lips returned more feverish than before, nipping her lower lip sensually. "Tell me what you need Hermione," he rumbled against her.

A moan escaped her as he pulled the straps from her arms, tossing the bra down with her dress. "You Severus, just you," she panted out.

This seemed to do the trick as he suddenly lifted her, legs wrapped around his torso, and lead her across the hall into his bedroom. He dropped her to the bed, atop her in an instant and grinding himself against the only barrier of clothing she had.

Hermione broke the kiss, needing to feel more of him, to feel the heat of his skin blistering against hers. She yanked the buttons of his coat, so many damn buttons, fumbling more than twice before it was finally off. Only she was confronted with another row of buttons.

The frustration must have been apparent in her eyes as Severus chuckled low, the sound vibrating against her neck as he kissed the tender spot behind her ear, "We have all night."

Hermione let out a growl of frustration and ripped the offending shirt open, buttons popping off and scattering to the floor and on the bed around them. Finally she was greeted with his pale chest, smattered with dark coarse hair and littered with scars. She reached her hands out, desperate to feel him, to run her fingers through the dark curls and tweak his rosy nipple.

Before she met his skin, her hands were yanked above her by invisible strings, and tug as she might they were fastened securely. Her eyes shot to him and she saw the mischievous grin playing on the corner of his stern set face.

"Destruction of my property will not be tolerated ," he drawled, one hand reaching down to rub delicious circles against her aching clit. She cried out, too needy to come back with a clever response of her own. He didn't let up, continuing to rub her through her soaked panties until she was quivering, her arms taut against his spell, legs trembling against him.

Just as she felt the beginnings of her orgasm, his hand moved away from her completely. She whined her need, making him chuckle again. "First, restorations are due," as he said this, he ripped her panties from her, tearing the delicate fabric and leaving her bare.

Her heart was throbbing, racing and pulsing in tandem with the ache between her legs. The previous impending orgasm was subdued but not far and if he put his hand back to work she'd certainly cum within a minute. "Please Severus!" she whimpered, looking into his dark eyes and hoping he'd take pity on the desperation he saw there.

If anything his resolve hardened and the smirk widened, "Please what Hermione?" He took the moment to rid himself of the torn shirt, and quickly vanished the rest, leaving them both stark. Her eyes were immediately drawn to his cock, its length bobbing with each pulse, her mouth went dry.

"Oh Gods Severus just fuck me!"

Severus captured her lips in a hungry, passionate kiss, grinding his hard length against her clit, over and over until she was once again shuddering, grinding back in a delirious attempt to get the friction she needed to cum. She was gasping into his mouth, the pleasure rising and making her short of breath.

Once she was on the edge, he pulled back again, and before she could utter a word of protest his cock was pushed inside of her. The spell on her arms was released and she clung to him as he set a furious pace and quickly brought her to an eye crossing, toe curling orgasm.

Through her keening and clenching he never slowed, slamming deep into her each time, his low growls and moans only prolonging her orgasm. Nothing had ever felt this good, this intense. Her mind was empty for a brief moment until the thrusting of his cock inside her made her cry out again.

She ran her hands over his chest, pinching his nipple lightly and making him hiss and push into her roughly. His cock brushed against her g spot making her mouth fall open in silent praise. Noticing the reaction, Severus thrust the same and she groaned loud, her legs quaking around his waist, "Oh God Severus I'm going to cum again!"

The snarl on his face was primal as he thrust over and over against the same spot, his arms starting to shake no doubt with the effort to hold himself up, and sweat glistening on his brow. He leaned down and nipped her neck, "Cum for me Hermione. Cum on my cock. Now."

"FUCK SEVERUS! OH GOD!" Hermione screamed. Light flooded her vision, blinding her as her pussy contracted and pulsed against him, the pleasure building throughout the orgasm until it was all she could handle. Throughout the climbing orgasm she vaguely felt him spill into her before he was pushed completely out of her by her spasming.

Severus rolled beside her, chest rising and falling rapidly, as she lay there unable to move a muscle or form a coherent thought. The only thoughts she managed was Severus Snape was an incredible lay. As her heart slowed to a normal rate and her twitching was just a faint thumping in her lower abdomen, she turned to him, a slow smile forming on her lips as he smirked at her.

Hermione pressed herself against his side, hugging him to her and throwing a leg over his mid section. "How many more times do you think we can do that tonight?"

His only response was to kiss her forehead and chuckle softly.

Severus awoke in the morning, vision obscured by a mass of curls and feeling rather warmer than normal. A smile formed on his face as he remembered the evening they shared. She had been quite the insatiable little thing, requesting a second and third round throughout the night.

The last bought had started in the middle of the night. Sleep riddled kisses lead to stroking which lead to the tired witch straddling his cock and slow grinding until she whimpered a small orgasm atop him. She had promptly fallen asleep as soon as she was cuddled against his bare chest once again.

He looked down at her, a small smile curving her otherwise peaceful face. It was a wonder to him that a beautiful, brilliant, and determined witch was nuzzling against him and smiling in her sleep. And to top it off it was Hermione fucking Granger. Brightest witch of her age. A member of the Golden Trio. Order of Merlin First Class.

He watched her sleep, the slow rise and fall of her chest; the way her breath blew an errant curl that was undoubtedly tickling the tip of her freckled nose. Even the small noise, for it couldn't be considered a snore the sound was so miniscule, coming from her nose was possibly the most adorable thing he could imagine.

Realizing how sentimental he was becoming as he watched her, he slipped from the bed, covering her naked form with his green sheets. He tossed on a pair of black sweats and made his way to the kitchen to brew a fresh pot of coffee.

What was he to do now? He had a naked witch in his bed; Hermione Granger, he reminded himself. His lack of experience frustrated him; social cues were never something that came easily to him. Sighing heavily, he poured himself a coffee and went to the living room, wanting to think quietly for a few moments before she awoke and he was forced to be incredibly awkward with her.

One thing he knew for sure, he wasn't going to run from her again. If anything she had proven that she would simply hunt him down until she had her will. Besides this was his home, where would he run to? Knowing this was one thing, enacting it was another.

Quite simply, he hadn't felt this way about a woman in a very long time. Sure there were trysts, he was a man after all, but none had left him feeling as disoriented as he did and none he ever dared to invite into his home, his sanctuary. His heart gave a lurch as he thought of the smile she so often bestowed on him.

He scowled darkly into his mug. His stupid traitorous heart was already making its opinion known. The damned thing never made a peep for years and now a few months association with the little chit and it was like a love sick puppy pining for her when she was a few doors away.

"Severus, I would have rather thought I'd find you in high spirits this morning."

The wizard snapped his head up to the portrait where Albus Dumbledore was smiling genially, eyes twinkling behind his half moon spectacles. Severus snorted into his mug, walking over to the wall where he hung so they could speak in quieter tones, "Whatever would give you that impression old man?"

The twinkling increased tenfold and Severus swore he saw a rosy tint beneath his beard, "Well it was a most curious thing. I popped in for a night cap with you last night but it seemed you were rather occupied with other company."

"Merlin," Snape groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose and squeezing his eyes shut. He knew he should have cast a silencing charm. "What did you hear or see should I add?"

Albus waved his hand dismissively, "Oh I didn't see anything, Severus. I heard some ruckus in the other room and noticed well," he looked pointedly to where Hermione's dress and bra were discarded. Severus took his wand from the table and sent the garments to his room. Albus chuckled, "Well, anyways, I drew my own conclusions and left promptly."

"Indeed," Severus said, taking another sip of his coffee. The heat in his cheeks had nothing to do with the hot beverage and everything to do with the knowing smile and twinkling eyes coming from the portrait. He felt like a randy teenager being caught in the act.

"Oh come now, Severus, she must be someone special if you've brought her here," he said suggestively.

Severus glanced to the hall, sighing heavily, "Yes, although I'm at a loss of how to proceed at this point."

Albus nodded solemnly, "I can understand that, you have spent far too much time on your own."

Severus sneered, "Forgive me for not dragging another human being into my pitiful existence while I played spy for you. Or perhaps I should have led her directly to the Dark Lord myself."

"That role has long been over and yet you continue to shrink away from the world," he replied evenly.

Severus turned away from that all knowing gaze, "Well the world has never been kind to me, what do I owe it?"

"Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

Severus turned back to the somber gaze of his only friend, "The last woman I loved ended up dead."

Albus shook his head, "It is time you forgave yourself for the actions of a mad man long dead. If you care for this woman, this is the first step you must take."

Severus felt the sting behind his eyes and swallowed past the lump in his throat, how did this stupid talking portrait manage to constantly tear through his walls like they were made of paper. Composing himself as best he could, he managed a small nod. If he continued to hold this over himself he would only hurt Hermione in the end.

Albus smiled, "It won't be easy my boy, but I am at your service when you need me. It is only fair that I return the favor."

Severus nodded again, not trusting his voice to be steady just yet.

The man in the portrait clapped his hand once, as if to signal the end of such miserable conversation, "Now, you must tell me who the lovely lady in question is. You know us portraits need something to gossip about."

Severus rolled his eyes about to tell the old man to stuff it, when Hermione, rubbing her tired eyes, wandered into the living room wearing one of his shirts that fell just below her butt cheeks.

"Severus, you weren't in be-" she paused and squeaked in surprise when she saw the former headmaster in his frame. "Uh- hello Sir." Her entire face flushed scarlet as she attempted to pull down and stretch his shirt to cover more of her legs.

"Oh my," the portrait chuckled.

Snarling, Severus charmed a blindfold on his friend, "I better not hear a word of this from Minerva, or I swear I will have you removed."

Albus laughed once more before stumbling blindly from his frame, "No promises, my boy," he called out as he left.

Severus ran his hand over his face. No doubt he would hear about this; perhaps a howler would be in his morning mail shortly. He felt a soft hand pull his own away from his face and was greeted by a shy smile from the woman who was just hours ago screaming his name.

"Good morning," she leaned up and placed a gentle kiss to his lips.

And in that he was undone. He pulled her close and kissed her fully, allowing the kiss to remain soft yet hoping to convey the feelings he could not express in words to her. She whimpered against him, her hand snaking between them to rest over his racing heart.

Perhaps his old friend was right. Maybe it was time to let go of what was, what couldn't be changed, and allow himself a future that perhaps contained the half naked witch in his arms. He growled low as her hand toyed with the waistband of his trousers. Yes perhaps he could endure the insufferable know-it-all after all.

Thats it folks! I made this chapter extra long for you. A sort of epilogue of sorts as I know many of you wanted some more smut (I mean who doesn't). Plus I thought I would somewhat address some of Severus' self image. I mean clearly its not solved but hes on a healthy path now! Yay for Severus and Hermione. As always I appreciate reviews so much so please please leave me some goodies to read.