CHAPTER 15
Chapter 15 ~ In the Infirmary
Albus arrived in Severus’ bedroom and gently levitated the Potions Master through the floo. Poppy was waiting on the other side and guided him gently to a cot at the far end of the infirmary. The Potions Master hated being in the infirmary and always insisted on being as far from public view as possible. Not that he was in any condition to complain, but they respected his wishes.
Hermione followed them up, and she and Albus stood by as Poppy examined him. When the medi-witch gently rolled him over, Hermione gasped and burst into tears. Most of the flesh on Severus’ back hung in tattered strips, and what wasn’t was partially scabbed and oozing. He had been scourged, his stripes allowed to partially heal, then beaten again until the raw meat of the muscle was visible beneath the skin that was trying to heal. There was damage to his tendons in his wrists and shoulders so he couldn’t move his arms. Pomfrey said it was probably from him hanging for a long period of time. She assured Hermione she could repair them. He had been beaten severely in the abdominal area as well, with a club or other heavy object. In fact, no part of his body had been spared. It seemed however that the Potions Master had been physically tortured only. There was no sign of the Cruciatus curse being applied.
“He would not have survived if he had been hit with the curse like he usually is,” Pomfrey commented. Ribs on both sides were broken, but luckily none of the bones had pierced any vital organs. One kneecap was completely shattered and his nose was broken. Pomfrey had Hermione leave the room as she cut away Severus’ pants. They were stuck to him by his own dried blood. He had lost an amazing amount to have survived. Pomfrey used a moistened cloth to work the stuck fabric away from his skin.
Hermione could hear her comments from the other side of the curtain.
“Well, it seems the only part of him they didn’t damage is his sexual organs,” the medi-witch said.
“That is probably because Voldemort admires Severus’ sexual prowess,” Albus said, forgetting Hermione was standing outside the curtain. “Severus confided in me that the Dark Lord liked to watch him…er…you know. For entertainment. Because of his size.”
“The Dark Lord is a very sick wizard,” Pomfrey sniffed, “The things Severus has to do for him.”
“It’s part of his job as a spy,” Albus replied sadly, shaking his head.
Hermione’s eyes went wide. The Dark Lord liked to watch Severus fuck? Because of his size? Good gods. How big was he? And who did he have to fuck?
Hermione unconsciously wrapped both her arms around her middle and hugged herself. The Potions Master was or had been Voldemort’s personal porn star. The Headmaster did use the past tense. But still, it was a pretty disconcerting statement to hear about the man that she was considering losing her virginity to.
There was mostly silence for the next hour or so, punctuated by occasional groans from Severus as Pomfrey worked on healing his broken body. Hermione paced back and forth outside the curtain listening intently for any sound he made. He was such a brave wizard. He had to know this would happen to him before he went after Lucius. Did he really think she was worth all of that sacrifice? All of that pain and suffering? The idea that he did was frightening to Hermione. What if she gave herself to him and she wasn’t as good as he thought she’d be? What if he decided after all he’d gone through, she hadn’t been worth it? That would be terrible.
Hermione started suffering from performance anxiety.
Pomfrey came out from behind the curtain, took one look at the shivering witch and dragged her over to her stores and made her drink down a calming draught.
“Don’t be worried, Hermione…he’s going to be fine. You’ll work yourself up into a full blown panic attack if you don’t calm down,” she chided the young witch gently. Hermione looked at the healer with the whites of her eyes showing. Pomfrey had no idea what had made her freak out the way she did.
“You can go in and see him now,” the medi-witch said, smiling at her.
Hermione moved the black curtain aside and walked in. She took one look at Severus and all her misgivings died away. He looked much better already. He was dressed in a hospital gown that obviously tied in the back. The swelling around his eyes was almost gone, and his nose had been fixed. Pomfrey had hydrated him so his skin wasn’t dry and flaky, his mouth restored to its slightly cruel but sensuous mien. He was still bruised but it wasn’t as bad as when he first arrived. She could make out the binding around his ribs, and his arms looked fine. He was sleeping now. Hermione pulled a chair next to his bed and sat down, placing her hand on his. Albus and Pomfrey looked at each other, and both walked out, leaving the two alone.
“How long before the Potions Master is back to his usual self, Poppy?” Albus asked her.
“Well, he will probably be able to leave the infirmary in four or five days, though he will start raising hell in three, if not sooner. I’ve seen him pull off some amazingly fast recoveries from the Cruciatus curse. These injuries look bad, but they are nothing compared to the curse” the medi-witch said, scowling, “but he ought to be as good as new in about two weeks. Good thing for him he stays in shape. He was able to take a lot of punishment. A lesser wizard would have died.”
Albus looked back at the curtain, his eyes twinkling.
“Our Potions Master had a rather compelling reason to survive,” he said. Pomfrey looked at him, then realized what he was referring to.
“Ah yes, his wife,” Pomfrey replied…then she leaned toward the Headmaster, dropping her voice.
“Were you aware, Headmaster, that Mrs. Snape is still a virgin? She’s been with him over three months and he hasn’t touched her. Well, penetrated her anyway,” she said, her eyebrows raised as she waited for his reaction.
The Headmaster looked at the medi-witch.
“Actually, I am not surprised at all, Poppy. It was a marriage of convenience after all, and Severus, although he has a lot of rough edges, is a relatively honorable man. I find it highly unlikely that he would force himself on an untouched young woman. But if Mrs. Snape had come to him…shall we say, experienced…he would have most certainly taken full advantage of that fact in return for marrying her. Though I dare say, by the way Mrs. Snape is reacting to him, her virtue is in its dying throes. She is clearly in love with the Potions Master,” Albus said, smiling.
“Do you think they will annul their marriage? They only have until the end of the month before it becomes fixed forever,” Pomfrey said.
“Now that, I do not know, Poppy. It depends what’s in their hearts. It is hard to know what is in another’s heart,” he replied, his blue eyes darkening a bit. “But I would like to see the Potions Master happy. He deserves some happiness in his otherwise hard and lonely life.”
Pomfrey frowned.
“I would hardly call him lonely with the amount of women he’s been involved with, Albus,” she said stuffily. Severus’ conquests were legendary. Some said he had the gift of the “Seven Beauties” when it came to women.
“Ah, Pomfrey, you are equating frequent sex with meaningful relationships. You have heard of being lonely in a crowd of people?” he asked the medi-witch.
“Of course,” she replied.
“Imagine Severus lonely in a crowd of women, because that, my dear, is the true nature of his existence. One woman who can meet his needs physically, emotionally and intellectually is what he needs to ease his loneliness. I believe Mrs. Snape can provide that for him, if he will let her. I have a feeling she has already accomplished fulfilling two of those needs. The final will be the glue that seals the deal,” he said, his eyes distant.
“Oh, I hope so, Albus. Everyone needs love,” she breathed.
“Indeed,” Albus replied.
Hermione sat next to Severus’ bed, watching him breathe, studying his face and thinking about all the ideas she had about what her first time would be like. She had imagined it would have been the result of a powerful, uncontrollable desire to become one with a man she loved with all her heart and soul. Like being consumed by a fire that he would only be able to put out. She had never felt these things, only heard and read about them. But she felt she owed Severus, and she did love him in a kind of intellectual way. And he was attractive to her physically as well as intellectually. Her emotions had to be in there someplace.
After living with him these past few months, Hermione really couldn’t imagine feeling as comfortable with anyone else. Plus, he had been with a lot of women, so he probably knew how to make sex pleasant. He was a thorough man in everything else, she didn’t imagine he would be any different when it came to fucking. So there might not be fireworks and exploding stars, but there would be something pleasant, safe and secure, something she could live with. She didn’t know for sure if he wanted to dissolve the marriage. If he did, he would probably do it after he had fucked her and found out if she were any good. It would make no sense to remain married if she were lousy at it. Knowing his history with women, he obviously liked sex and wouldn’t stand for anything second-rate. Hermione sighed, then realized he was looking at her.
“You needn’t worry about that, Hermione,” he said softly, his voice rasping a bit.
The Potions Master had awakened while she was deep in thought. The look on her face was so intense that he looked into her mind to see what was occupying her so. He would have laughed if it wouldn’t have hurt so much.
Hearing the dryness in his voice, Hermione reached over to the small bedside table where a pitcher of water sat, poured him a cup, then helped him sit up and drink a little. She helped him back down, wincing a bit as he grimaced.
“Thank you,” he said, his voice regaining some of the silkiness she appreciated.
Hermione looked at him for several moments
“You could have been killed, Severus,” she said to him.
“Could have. But I wasn’t,” he replied, his black eyes searching her face. “I came back for you. I told you I would. After what Lucius did to you, I couldn’t allow him to live, Hermione.”
He looked at her intently.
“I want to see,” he said.
Hermione blinked at him, perplexed. “See what, Severus?” she asked him.
“I want to see what he did to you. How he got to you,” he replied, his eyes hard.
“No, Severus. You just returned. You don’t need to upset yourself,” she replied.
“It will upset me more if I don’t see it, Hermione. I have images in my mind constantly. I need to know the truth in order to stop them. Please,” he said. “I can do it so you won’t relive what I see.”
Hermione sighed.
“Very well, Severus,” she said, clearing her mind as best she could.
“Think of something pleasant,” the Potions Master said as he lifted his arm and placed two fingers against her temple. Hermione thought of a lively debate they had over fried chicken and potato salad as Severus viewed Lucius’ attack on her. Presently he dropped his hand.
“I wish I could kill him again,” he said quietly.
“It’s over, Severus,” she said soothingly. The wizard’s dark eyes shifted to hers with an angry light in them.
“He could have ruined you. Made you frightened, cold, unable to experience any joy with anyone else,” he seethed.
“I might be like that anyway,” Hermione blurted out.
Severus’ eyes widened as he looked at the lovely young witch. Was she crazy?
“Hermione, why would you say something like that?” he asked her, frowning slightly.
“Because I care about you, and I’m attracted to you, but I’m not feeling any fire or longing or anything like what it’s supposed to be like,” she said. “I think I am going to be like a robot or something.”
“What’s a robot?” he asked her, an eyebrow arched in interest.
“A muggle creation that looks like a person, but is made out of metal, and wires. It doesn’t feel anything, but does what it’s commanded to do,” she said.
Severus started to laugh, then winced. Hermione winced in sympathy. He had to be hurting under those bandages.
“I assure you, Hermione. You’re not a robot,” he said, still wincing.
“How can you be sure? How can you know I’ll be any good? What if I’m terrible?” she said, her eyes starting to fill. The Potions Master looked at her soberly.
“You are truly concerned about this, aren’t you Hermione?” he asked her.
She nodded.
“Lean down here,” he said, his dark eyes beginning to smolder. “I’m going to kiss you.”
Hermione leaned down and touched her lips to the Potions Master’s, who raised his hand to the back of her head and drew her into his lips more firmly. He moved his mouth against hers slowly, and sensuously, tugging on her bottom lip lightly, then sucking on it.
Hermione felt what could only be described as a heat rising from the center of her lower belly, actually not her belly, but right under her navel. It was the most delicious feeling she had ever felt. It began to spread across her body, and she drew in her breath sharply. Severus broke the kiss and looked into her heated eyes. Hermione looked at him, then began to lean in again. He jerked his head aside.
“See. There is fire,” he said, looking at her, his eyes glittering. “You want more. That means you want me.”
Hermione sat back in the chair, the feeling of wanting to continue to kiss the dark wizard still with her. She didn’t know she had this feeling inside her for the Potions Master.
“That’s why I never attempted to kiss you, or touch you. I knew what was underneath. I knew when I kissed you at the ceremony and looked in your eyes afterwards. It wouldn’t take much to ignite you. I had no intentions on trying to fuck you. It was always my intention to play out this little charade and let you skip back off to Gryffindor Tower as pure as you came to me. But after your little stunt, and I found myself wanting you, I knew if I had kissed you in private and you responded, I probably would not have been able to stop myself, and what would have happened would have happened too soon for you to be comfortable with afterwards Hermione. You would have felt cheap and dirty. You weren’t ready for that much passion to hit you all at once, but it was there, longing to get out. You had to know me first as Severus the man, not Professor Snape, the Snarky Potions Master of the Dungeons and bane of your existence for the past seven years.” Severus said softly.
Then his black eyes became so intense that Hermione felt her stomach clutch.
“And now…you do,” the Potions Master said, a soft growl in his voice.
Severus was glad he had plenty of covers on. He had a raging erection and didn’t want to scare Hermione away. But by the look in her eyes, he doubted she could be torn away if she were tied to a herd of hippogriffs at this moment. Yes, his wife was definitely hot for him. How long would he be here anyway?
“I didn’t know,” Hermione said, her voice almost a whisper, as she looked at him. Now she was feeling what the books described, but much more powerfully than those words could ever express. She was like a Sleeping Beauty. One kiss woke her up.
“You weren’t ready to know, believe me,” the Potions Master said, yawning. He looked at her. “I think you should go back to the rooms now, and get some sleep. I’m going to be fine.”
“No,” she said stubbornly. ”You’ve been gone for days. I’m not leaving now.”
“Hermione,” he said, then faltered as he saw the familiar tilt of her chin that showed she was ready to argue. He sighed.
“Fine,” he said.
Slowly, he slid over in the cot. His back hurt terribly, but he managed.
“What are you doing?” she asked him, her eyebrows raised.
“Well, if you insist on staying here, it would be better if you lay down, otherwise you will get another painful neck from sleeping in a wrong position. Come lay next to me. You’re small enough to fit,” he said.
“But Pomfrey…” Hermione said.
“Have you forgotten you’re my wife? We could fuck right here if I was in any condition. The only complaint Pomfrey could have would be with our choice of venue,” he said snarkily. “Now, if you are going to stay, get in the bed.”
Hermione looked around furtively, then removed her shoes and climbed into the bed with Severus, who extended his arm, then pulled her against him and closed his eyes. Hermione felt warm all over, lying next to him with his arm around her, but safe. Right.
“Good night, Mrs. Snape,” Severus said sleepily.
“Good night, Mr. Snape,” Hermione replied. Presently, Severus was snoring lightly. But Hermione…Hermione took a very long time to sleep.