A Room With a View

At Last

It was possible that Severus Snape had spent more of the past few weeks speechless, breathless, and otherwise confunded than he had in the past decade. Or two. It was also possible that the source of his mute, air-free confusion had just asked him to take her home. To bed. Her bed.

Mating Merlins on a pogo-stick, Hermione wanted him in her bed. Tonight. Hyperventilation was not an option, and from the look on his date's face she was clearly expecting some sort of verbal response to her declaration.

"Buh." Right. All attempts at urbane and sophisticated repartee had flown out the window. Noting the delightful smirk on his companion's face, he cleared his throat and tried again. "B-but I thought we were going slow?" Hmm. Better, Severus, but perhaps you should contain your next sentence to a single octave?

Hermione's smirk was rapidly making Severus' pants distressingly uncomfortable. "No, Severus," she purred, placing her hand on his chest. "You were going slow. Infuriatingly slow. Snails and sloths have left you in their wake." She brought her other hands to the back of his neck and drew his head down to hers to leave a kiss at the corner of his mouth. "So I'm taking control for a bit. Take it for a boon to celebrate my win. Take it for a birthday wish. Just. Take. Me." Her voice had dropped to a husky contralto and she pressed her body against his and nipped at his jawline.

Severus felt suddenly lightheaded as all the blood in his head retreated south. "I--. Yes." His eyes darted frantically from one side of the bridge to the other, trying to find a secluded corner in which to apparate and finding none on the tourist-laden bridge. With a jerk and a lurch, he pointed them North, away from the glare of lights and people on Queen's Walk or milling about the National Theatre that evening. He led Hermione - bless her eager little soul - toward the shadowed arches of Somerset House and apparated with little care for potential witnesses to their disappearance.

They arrived with a muffled pop and a sound like a siren outside the Hogwarts gates. Severus had only a moment to puzzle over the whine (the pop he understood) before he realized he was emitting a high-pitched noise (dammit, it wasn't a squeal) as Hermione, already burrowed into his chest, reached down and ran her hand along his rapidly swelling length. He drew a ragged breath before taking her hand in his own once again. "You need to stop that, love. We still have to get inside."

"No, you need to get inside." Her eyes shown in the dim moonlight with barely repressed excitement. He was pleased to see that she was nearly as breathless as he. "Hurry. Hurry, hurry."

Wasting no further time, Severus waved a hand at the gates to have them swing open and damn near jogged down the path with a giggling Hermione in tow. He whirled as a voice called to them nearby, barely suppressing the snarl that wanted to claw its way out of his throat.

Hagrid waved at his friends as they barreled down the path toward the castle. "Professors! Good ev'nin to yeh both! Fancy a nightcap? Me an' Fang was just settlin' in fer the night with summat Goblin mead that Filius got in Wales las' month."

Severus gesticulated rather wildly as he continued down the path without pause. "Can't tonight, Hagrid. Thanks. Must run. Important papers to plan. Lessons to grade. Good night!"

Hagrid clearly interpreted this uncharacteristically panicked excuse-making as a sign of ill health. "Wha'? Yer alright there, Hermione?"

"Fine! We're just fine, Hagrid!" she responded through her giggles. "I'll come see you tomorrow!"

"Don't count on it," Severus muttered under his breath, continuing toward his objective with his... other objective in tow and leaving the puzzled groundskeeper behind him.

-------------------------------------

They managed to make it to their tower without anyone else impeding their progress and with only small instance of Hermione pulling him into an alcove and shoving her tongue down his throat (though admittedly he didn't even offer token protest). At long last she lowered her wards and hip-checked her door open, dragging Severus inside by his jacket lapels. The door slammed shut, the sconces lit, and the two would-be lovers stared at one another, panting in Hermione's warm foyer.