The Exposure

Chapter Twenty-Three

          You creep back to your dorm, glancing up at the grandfather clock in the hall. 2:30. I'm glad tomorrow's Saturday. You quietly slip under your covers, your body aching, sore, and warm with contentment. Your dreams are filled with him once again, his hands, his dark eyes, his tenderness toward you. It's worth it to him. I'm worth it.

          The next day on your way to lunch, Peter catches you in the hall, his voice low and secretive. "Y/n, uh. I don't mean to pry, but...you and...Professor Snape?" he asks, baffled. Your eyes widen in alarm and you quickly pull him aside into an empty classroom. "How did you––!" "I saw you leaving this office last night past curfew...way past curfew." You bite your lip and squeeze your eyes shut anxiously, "Ok, yes, I––wait. What were you doing out after curfew?"

          He smirks, "Same as you. Tending to some unfinished business..." his voice trails. You sigh in a mixture of panic and relief; panicked because you promised the Professor he could count on your discretion, but relieved at sharing the burden of your secret with someone else.

          "I saw you follow along after him outside the castle last night during the dance. I thought at first, maybe...but then when I saw you leaving his chambers in the wee hours with wet hair..." You let out a small laugh, still filled with butterflies from your night with Snape. Your smile fades, "Peter. You have to promise not to tell. Anyone." "What, not even McGonagall?" he quips. You smack his arm, gritting your teeth, "Peter!" "Blimey, alright! I won't tell," he chuckles. "But really...Snape? That vicious old dungeon bat?"

          "...you have no idea what a daddy he is, though..." you sigh, staring off dreamily. Peter laughs at you, "You're terrible, dating a professor...and he is rather robbing the cradle, isn't he?" "Well...I suppose that's part of the appeal for me. That, and that rich, silky voice..."

          "...alright, I'll agree with you there, that voice."

          You and Peter begin talking quietly about your secret lovers, both excited to have someone to finally share with. His quiet dance with Rupert and the night they shared, your evening with Severus...though you spare him most of the details of your own...escapade with the Professor. "Oi, I um...please don't be mad, but my roommates sort of think you and I. Erm, went all the way last night." His brows shoot up in surprise, "Really, on our first date?"

          You blush, realizing it hadn't taken you even one date for Severus to fuck you senseless. You were never "easy," but there's something about him that makes you want to give yourself over to him completely. "Yes, well Angel saw me come back inside at the dance and she could tell I was a bit...flustered? And you and I had both disappeared at the same time, so she made the connection, and...I just didn't correct her assumption because the truth was much worse," the words tumble out of you a mile a minute. "And then my roommates explicitly asked and I had already lied to Angel and––" "Y/n, relax," Peter laughs. "This is to our mutual benefit."

          "Really? How do you figure?" "Well, one of the best ways to hide the truth is to tell a lie and act like you're trying to hide it. And now if we need a cover story for where we are, what we've been up to," he shrugs, "we have a believable but still somewhat salacious story," he retorts, running his fingers through his thick, curly hair. "Wow. Well, in that case," you say, offering your hand to his to shake on it.

          "Will you be my alibi?"

          "Only if you'll be mine?"

          "Deal."

          You both exit the classroom and make your way to the Great Hall, a new understanding and a sense of camaraderie linking you.

          His eyes follow you yanking someone into the classroom with you––that same little prat from last night. Hot blood rushes to his chest as he swallows hard, restraining himself. Snape takes his place at the teacher's table, watching the students spill into the room. Too long passes before you both make for the Great Hall, his eyes immediately finding you. Beautiful...