As soon as they came back Hermione ran straight to her room, still in tears and her impassioned outcries brought everyone out of their cubbyholes. Snape had to stay back and explain what had happened. Together, they came to the conclusion that it was probably Townsend who had tipped the Ministry police to take Lee a prisoner but he had been already killed off by friends of Azazel or Crouch Jr's other henchmen.
Hermione had guessed as much by now, but she still couldn't get over the fact as to how cruelly Lee had been murdered and his body left to decay. He had been a most useful tool in this entire revolution and he was the glue that bound all the different links together and his fate had been worse than any others'. They hated him because of how much he knew and how much help he had been, so much so that the killing curse wasn't enough, that they gutted him like a fish! Or they could have done that to him while he was still alive...
Hermione was going to be sick. She rushed to the toilet and retched but nothing came out except more and more whimpering lamentations. She came back and fell on the floor beside the bed and continued bawling, till her whole body felt numb and drained and only occasional shivers passed through her.
There was a curt knock on her door and she sighed before finally getting up to open it. Snape stood there, his expression compunctious as he searched eagerly at her face, grieved as to what a sorry sight she was indeed.
"Are you okay...?"
She couldn't reply but she threw her hands around his shoulders and sought comfort in his embrace, hiding her face in his chest as she continued shedding tears. He was startled at her need to cling to him but he could see that she was really hurt and she needed the compassion and the solace, so that he enveloped her in a hug.
She wasn't very clingy but tonight, after all the insanity of the past few weeks, all the deaths and all the terror- intimacy and amenity was all she craved. He gently rubbed at her back in a calming motion. "I'm sorry...I know you can't be allright...I'm really sorry about what happened..."
She sniffled, more tears leaking out of her and onto his coat, wetting it. He slowly held her by the sides and brought her at arm's length so that he could look at her face. Gently he wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Is there anything I can do for you?"
"Just stay with me. Will you stay with me for a while? I don't wanna be alone. Please..." she begged.
His lips parted but he didn't want to protest at such a time. "You want me to...?"
She nodded vigorously, pulling at his coat, so that he was fully inside the room. He proceeded to close the door and Hermione got into bed, pulling him along with her. He laid back uncertainly but he opened his arms for her to snuggle into his chest, curled into almost a fetal position. His body was tensed at first but he gradually relaxed in this position, letting her cuddle closer to him, nestling her head in the crook of his arm and chest. She wasn't sobbing anymore but tremors were passing through her, making her body tremble like a leaf. He brought his hand up to run his fingers through her hair in an extremely soothing way, untangling the knots and gently massaging her scalp.
They lay in silence, her breathing getting more even now, as her eyes started to droop.
"This system...this whole system must be destroyed."
He didn't reply at first but she knew he had heard her. He gave a sigh. "Yes."
"The Ministry needs to be burnt down to the ground," she continued in a small but determined voice, "No matter if we're born to muggle parents or all-magic parents, no matter if we have any magic within us or not- we all deserve to live."
"Yes," he said again, the objective of their journey growing clearer to him now.
"This is not just their fight- it is everyones. We must all fight, and if necessary, die to tell people the truth."
Snape didn't say anything more to that, but held her strongly, telling no matter what happened, he would always be there for her.
*****************************
Hermione must have fallen asleep for a while, but her drowsiness was broken when she felt Snape move beside her. Apparently, he had been dozing too but after his snooze broke, he was attempting to extract himself.
"I'm sorry...I don't know what happened...I-I-" he was saying.
"It's okay...you fell asleep- it's fine..."
"I...was about to leave....it's very late..."
"No, stay," she pleaded as she sat up, holding him back, "I don't think I can be alone tonight..."
He had seated up too and they leaned back into the bedframe. He sighed, still having his arm around her, as he lightly rubbed at her upper arm. "I'm really sorry about Lee...I know you thought of him as a friend..."
She nodded, her fingers tangling with the fingers of his other hand that he had allowed to rest on her lap. Normally, he wasn't keen on talking much, but tonight he was eager on offering her comfort. "I know how you feel, I really do...I think Albus was someone whose death affected me the most...And he- well, I don't know whether I can exactly call him a friend, or anyone for that matter, but he used to look out for me...and Lee was a pretty likeable guy, he was about your age and he was quick to develop a bond. I think you appreciated him more when you realized you were not alone in this and he had been helping all along."
She quietly listened to him, their eyes meeting and holding each other's gazes for a long moment. She was even more touched when he leaned in to give a small kiss on her forehead. "You can pull yourself together, I know you will."
But she didn't pull back from him, but gazed up at his face. "We all need someone to look out for us, don't we? And in my case, I'm glad it was you."
With this, she closed the distance between their faces and pressed her lips to his, closing her eyes and basking at the sensation. He had been unable to draw away but remained frozen still, surprised at her sudden affectionate touch. After a few seconds, she slowly pulled back a minuscule inch to see his reaction, and he slowly opened his eyes to check her intention. She herself hadn't known why she did that but when she did kiss him, she realized she wanted it- she had been wanting it for some time and that she needed more. It was when she leaned in again, to take his lips back in hers that he drew away, albeit reluctantly.
"I think I should go..."
"No-"
But he had swung his legs around the bed and got to his feet, scrambling with embarrassment and rushing to get out. "I'm- I'm sorry...I shouldn't have- You're upset, and I was- that's- It's not appropriate for me to be here any longer...I- I should go..."
"No, please stay," she caught hold of the hem of his coat and kept him from leaving, getting on her knees on the bed so that she could reach him, "Severus, please...I want to be with you..."
"I can't stay...I shouldn't..." He looked helpless as Hermione held onto him, but his mind told him to leave immediately. Her mouth was dangerously close to his again, tantalizing him, inviting him to set aside all restrictions.
"Severus...I want this...I want you..." she revealed in hot whispers.
She could hear him swallow, his eyes darting to her lips. He was giving in now, his protests flimsy. "I can't- we can't do this Hermione...it's not right..."
"Then tell me to stop."
She saw a fragile yearning in his gaze and her breath escaped in a long, quiet sigh as she was struck by the intensity of his bruising gaze. Here was that hint of vulnerability, cracked open and exposed. She didn't understand it fully, but on some level, she knew that this man had been hurt so many times and in so many different ways that he was so very much afraid. Afraid to be vulnerable in front of anyone ever again. But this broken man had been kind enough to offer her a level of contentment that was beyond his capability and that was what had endeared him to her all the more.
She gently leaned in and kissed him again- a soft kiss- tender and coaxing, and he did not ask her to stop. When she pulled back, his eyes travelled across her face and the depths of her eyes, as if she was a marvel and he didn't know what he had done to deserve her. His brows were creased with an emotion that she couldn't comprehend. She leaned in again but stopped short, her lips barely brushing his, when he closed the distance, surrendering to her.
[MATURE CONTENT]
His hands came up and gripped the back of her waist, as he deepened the kiss, tentatively at first but with more and more passion as she responded in kind. She snaked her hands to the back of his neck and as their kiss progressed, she reached up, threading her fingers through his hair, moaning into his mouth as he sucked her lips. She pulled at his hair, making him groan pleasurably and he reached down to tug her legs from under her body, so that she fell back on the bed.
He followed by hovering over her, pinning her under his chest and his mouth was on her again, his kisses turning desperate. Her synapses misfired in a jumble of thoughts as his lips explored hers and she welcomed each and every caress. When he slanted his mouth across hers with a moan from deep in his chest, she opened up to him with abandon, just like he was to her.
The effect this had on him was incredible. His restraint had evaporated and he kissed her almost violently, pushing the sheets and pillows out of the way and pushing her upwards on the bed, clutching her close and kissing her vehemently. She held him tightly and kissed him back with a desperation she didn't understand either. She tugged at his coat and he understood that she wished to get rid of the layers between them. So he sat up, proceeding to open the buttons of his coat and discard it, while she quickly pulled her top over her head. She watched entranced as he slowly started unbuttoning his shirt- that shirt which clings to his body in a delectable way- which now looked even sexier as it seemed he was deliberately taking his time to open one button at a time- surely to make her go mad with lust. His chest was rising up and down as he breathed heavily but his eyes were on her- filled with a wild form of wanting that she had never seen before.
She couldn't wait any longer; she lunged at him, attacking his mouth once again, as he somehow managed to free his hands from the shirt sleeves to bring them around to her back. He unhooked her bra and stripped it off her, rolling her back onto the bed again, where he started kissing and biting at her neck. She bit her lip hard, trying not to moan out loud but she couldn't help the low sighs of pleasure that escaped her. He was venturing downwards, kissing in between her breasts, down to her stomach and still downwards till he reached the edge of her jeans. She unbuttoned it and he got to his knees to tug them down and free her legs.
When he was sitting back like that, she glimpsed at his body better; he was pale and lanky, but he was surprisingly more sinewy than she had imagined, the muscles in his arms flexing as he crawled back up to the level of her face. She pushed upwards off the bed and stroked his chest alluringly, then she took his lips in hers again, biting at them playfully and urging him to carry on what he was doing. He supported himself on his arms as he dipped down to deliver kisses on the tops of her breasts, his tongue venturing out to flick over her perky nipples, as he sucked. He pulled at them with his teeth, making Hermione throw her head back in the pillows and whining- begging for him to continue this sweet torture as he fondled each of her breasts at a time.
She could feel the wetness spreading in between her legs and when his hand travelled down to the band of her knickers, his eyes roved up to her face, as he asked in a hoarse whisper, "Is this okay?" She could do nothing but nod zealously. She was growing needy and desperate for his touch and when he pulled the fabric aside and let his fingers coddle her sex and slip one inside her, she practically keened, arching off of the bed. His mouth engulfed her, his tongue licking at the insides of her mouth and as her mouth opened to let out another moan, he slipped his tongue inside, her tongue jumping up to meet his. As their tongues were enmeshed, he added another finger inside her and started moving them in a deeply sensual motion, making her head go wild.
She had to break the kiss as she clutched at his arms and reached the crescendo of pleasure as his fingers worked their magic and her body bucked towards his hand, making her totally fall apart under him. He pulled his fingers out and hooked them under the band of her underwear to pull it off her completely. She was so pleased and gratified by him. She sat up and planted kisses down his pecks and abdomen and grazed her teeth over her lower lip as she started undoing his breeches. His fingers forced her to let go as he entangled her fingers in his again, bringing her hands to his mouth, where he kissed at her palms, the tips of her fingers and insides of her forearms. She looked up and stole a glance at his eyes as she let his pants fall to the ground but she didn't have a chance to bring her gaze downwards before he hungrily climbed on top again.
She grabbed the back of his neck and smashed their lips together, desperately anticipating the thing that this was progressing to. He returned her kiss with the same vehemence that she was showing, kissing and smooching in the most affectionate way possible, as his hands caressed her skin in soft loving touches. He didn't break the kiss even as he nudged her thighs apart with his knee and shifted himself between her legs. She gently reached down to boldly guide him as he slid himself inside her.
It was then that he had to break the kiss, as he tore his mouth away and whispered, "Fuck..." His body had gone rigid, the muscles on his back turning to steel cords as he held himself still. He opened his eyes to stare down at her, his eyes full of content and his gaze ripe with a heady mixture of pleasure and awe. Sucking in a deep breath through his nose, ever so slowly, he began to move. His breath blew out in a long rumble of pleasure as she urged him on with a small cry.
"Oh, Severus...yes...yes..."
From the gasps and snarled oaths, whatever aloof seductions he had and all his reservations had gone out the window as he lost control. He clutched desperately at the headboard as he thrusted into her, letting out groans with each stroke. He dipped his head down to kiss her again, his hands sliding under her back now as he held her close to his chest. There was a single tear glistening at the corner of her eye and he brushed it away with his lips before it could roll down her cheek. It wasn't a sorrowful tear but a secretion resulting out of an overwhelming sense of contentment that had leaked out of her at that moment in the form of a teardrop. She was digging her nails in his arms, rocking with the motion of his thrusts, and she was sure she was leaving marks on his back as she caved in to his strong kisses.
She dragged her lips across his cheek to whisper in his ear, "You feel so good..." as he pounded into her. He was too far gone in his own sensations to respond with anything more than a deep groan, but he was glad she was finding the experience so pleasurable. She met him thrust for thrust, her breath hitching as they advanced. It had been long since she'd held a man in her arms but she couldn't remember it ever being this overpowering.
She reached around to sink her fingers into the flesh of his backside with both hands as he moved even faster, immediately dialling their night up to unrefined passion. He grabbed one of her hands and raised it above their heads, crushing it to the mattress as she moaned and quaked under him. His mouth was possessing her, claiming her lips, her body, her entire being. She tried to reciprocate, but her soft cries were coming too fast. She sucked his lower lip into her mouth and held it between her teeth as she heard him hum blissfully in response.
His groan almost sounded pained. Pulling his face away, he looked down and then into her eyes with an expression full of ecstasy and also apology. "It's too...fuck- I can't..."
Seeing him so out of control seemed surreal. This normally stoic gentleman was on fire with passion and unable to conceal even the slightest reactions he had towards her. His ragged breathing seemed to tear through her and she felt herself pulsing in response. Her voice was toned with a yearning need that she didn't know she was capable of. "It's allright..." A wave of ecstasy ripped through her soul as she reached her climax, gasping out.
"Oh....oh...yes..."
He growled low and long and she could feel the tension in his frame as he tried to fight it. But his entire body was trembling with need. She leaned up and grabbed his face, kissing him deeply, sweeping her tongue over his lips in the most tantalizing way possible and he started to keen, succumbing to her mouth. His hips jerked erratically and his lips drew apart in a rasping groan as he exploded into her within seconds.
They collapsed on the bed in a sweaty heap, their chests heaving and limbs entangled in a mess of crumpled human bodies. Their ragged breathing and racing heartbeats gradually lowered as he slipped out of her, but they still held each other close. After a few minutes, Snape's perusing eyes sought hers, after he had reached over the edge of the bed to fish out his wand from his coat pocket and use some spells in rapid succession to clean themselves up.
"Are you okay?" he asked in a drained but dead-sexy voice.
"Mmm.." was all she could say in reassurance as she pecked at his lips again as a show of gratitude. He obliged her with small kisses on her lips, neck and shoulders as she turned around and snuggled back into his chest and he continued to shower her with his tender affections till she felt herself slip into an exhausted slumber. It was probably a good thing that they were stuffed in a tiny little space in a small bed- it gave them an excuse to be snuggled even closer.
She heard him put out the candles and his wand cluttering to the floor, as his hands didn't reach all the way to the table, but he couldn't care less where it went in his attempt to get back to having his arms around her. She wouldn't have thought him to be someone who would toss his wand away before going to sleep but she couldn't be arsed to care to summon her wand either and slip it under her pillow like she usually did.
As they lay contented in each other's arms, she knew paranoia had no room here tonight.