Senses

Chapter 51

Severus could feel himself falling through a darkness he had not found himself in for many years. So many emotions he had dutifully locked away—never wanting to ever feel again—coming free like pandora's box. Before he'd even realized what he'd done, his hand had risen, still trembling as he tried to find some sort of bearing.

Hermione let a small sigh pass her lips when she lowered herself back down. He'd turned his head at the last possible moment causing her kiss to land crookedly on his thinned lips. Though despite this, he had leaned into her. The tension in the air was so thick she was sure it couldn't have been cut with the sharpest of blades.

Her lips curled in, her tongue coming out to taste the small bit of coffee she'd captured from the crease of his pursed lips. She hadn't known what had possessed her. Why she had allowed herself to act so foolishly. She only hoped that her punishment would not be so severe.

A heavy breath pushed the stray hair that had come over her face. When she dared to raise her eyes it was just in time for his to roll closed. Her brow furrowed before his entire weight was suddenly against her.

"Professor?!" Hermione caught him awkwardly under his arms slowing his fall to the floor. Unable to hold his weight, she lowered down with him, protecting his head from the hard stone, "Severus, what can I do?"

Severus let out a slow groan, his back felt like he'd just been lashed with fire. His head put into a vice and his chest as though someone had made it their personal trampoline. Her voice sounded as though it were coming from four different directions and in canon. He was sure that her soft hands around his head were the only thing keeping him from floating from earth.

Hermione pressed the back of her hand against his forehead cursing her previous actions even more, "You're burning up..." How could she not have seen? How could she have been so blind?

Her fingers instantly dug into his collar, pulling open the buttons that held tight to his throat, the more she released the more heat she could feel coming off of his body. Her brow was heavy with concern as his eyes opened and closed slowly without truly seeing her.

"I've got you...just rest..." She forced a small smile onto her lips when his eyes turned towards her voice. His lips moving for the briefest of moments before only a soft sigh passed them.

He had come down there for something, what was it? Her head turned to look up at the old darkened shelves, her hands still working away at releasing his jacket. She'd never felt so foolish as she did right then. Kissing a man who could barely stand let alone object.

"Fever-reducing potion...pain potion?" Her bottom lip worried in her teeth as she took a moment to look down at his chest, having found the trick button she pushed away the heavy black material to the nearly see-through white shirt beneath, "Oh, Severus..."

Hermione was careful when she moved out from under his head. Slowly making her way back onto her feet, she held her side that had given a small stitch from her previous exertion before she turned on her heel to better look through the shelves.

He was organized, always organized. Potions and their ingredients held together in sequence. It took her only a minute to find what she believed she needed. Carefully moving over his prone form, she reached up onto her tip toes before pulling down an old wooden chest without a top.

The small clinking of bottles raised her spirits and she turned towards the small light as she looked through the labels. Yes, it was exactly what she needed. Taking a few that she believed to be most beneficial she stuffed them into the slack's pockets before pulling out her wand. There was no way she was going to be able to carry him and leaving him on a dank basement floor was not an option.