5

Chapter Five: Dolce

The walk to the dungeons progressed in silence. Severus could almost hear his heart beat echoing off the walls. This was really too much. The child had been so brave facing her uncle, so very Slytherin. Severus almost walked into a wall with that thought. He shook his head, the pace of events was effecting his sanity. He rounded a corner and noticed that the footsteps following his had slowed down. He waited a few moments till the young girl caught up with him.

He looked down at her, she refused to meet his eyes. All the self- assuredness he had witnessed at the bonding seemed to be gone. In its place stood a frightened child and Severus nearly ran. Instead he steeled himself and took her hand. She flinched from the touch. "Child, come. It will be all right. We only have to do this once, little one. Just one time." Snape hoped his voice sounded more reassuring then his normal scathing tones. When Hermione looked up and tried to smile he realized he must have succeeded. But the smile didn't reach her eyes. She dropped her gaze back down but held onto his hand with an iron grip.

Snape stood still for a moment longer just touching the hand in his, the safety of the familiar hallway grounding himself and the child. She was frightened half to death. Snape remembered one of the muggle born students saying that Longbottom always had a deer-in-the headlights look on his face when Snape called on him in class. Hermione had that look now. Severus didn't want to move first. He didn't want her to bolt, as she was obviously ready to. He didn't understand where all her courage had gone. Perhaps she only had a limited supply and cursing Soren and fending off Malfoy had used the last of it.

Snape was so caught up in his thoughts he didn't realize the girl had moved until his arm tugged him forwards. He quickly regained his composer and retook command of the situation, leading the girl into his rooms. He let go of her hand as the door closed. He watched her out the corner of his eye as he added extra wards on the door. With Soren in the hospital wing he didn't want to risk an interruption. Then he noticed how much Hermione was shivering. He brushed past her and lit a fire in the stove. He didn't have a fireplace, he hated unwanted visitors, or heads popping up. He moved and locked the door that lead into his office as well. No need to take chances.

Hermione was still standing in the middle of his sitting room hugging herself and trying to keep her eyes from darting around. She was failing miserably. Snape walked to a cabinet and pulled out an old bottle of brandy. He poured two glasses and handed one to the child. She looked startled. "I think both of us could use a glass, Miss Granger."

Hermione took a sip and nodded. She softly chuckled a moment later. Snape raised an eyebrow in question. She meekly looked at him and spoke in a quite voice. "You realize you can't call me that anymore. It's either Lady Penwrath or Mrs. Snape." Hermione's eyes grew closed. "That is going to take some time to get use to. I..."

Snape gestured for her to have a seat opposite him on the couch. She hesitantly sat and he waited for her to say what she needed to.

"I know my father isn't my father but...well, he is my father. He raised me. He cared for me. I was always proud to carry his name. The Grangers may be muggles but they were always nice to me. They didn't know that I wasn't my father's daughter biologically, but if they had it wouldn't have mattered. My grandparents, on my father's side, are always writing me and telling me how proud they are and how they can't wait for the holidays so they can see me. Grandma likes to bake and she makes sure I get a ton of sugary things for Christmas. My parents are dentists and they don't like me to have sugar, they're afraid it will ruin my teeth. But Grandma only laughs about it. I never let mum see all the cookies and candy. She'd make me get rid of it."

Hermione was staring off into space. Snape was glad she was talking. The bandy, fire, and memories were making her relax.

"Grandpa loves to garden. He has a huge vegetable patch outside the house they own in York. It's right on the moor, nothing around for miles. They retired there after Grandpa got sick with cancer. He was lucky and the chemotherapy worked, but he never went back to work. He had owned a small grocery in the town I grew up in and when he got sick he sold it. I don't think he minds though. He seems to be much happier with his radishes and onions. He spends hours weeding them and just watching them. He swears he can see them growing. Sometimes I believe he just might be able to."

Severus bit back his question on what chemotherapy was. He assumed it was some kind of barbaric muggle treatment. Really, cancer was cured in the late Middle Ages! How muggles survived...

Hermione shook head. "I know it sounds silly. I grew up knowing Dr. Granger wasn't my father. But it never really hit me till the ceremony. Mum and dad weren't even at my wedding. I didn't even get my dress." Snape suddenly remembered the pictures some of the muggleborn girls ran around with back when he was a student. The large white things that passed for wedding grab in the muggle world confused him. Wizards didn't wear different clothing to a bonding. A bonding was a small private affair, unless you were a Malfoy. There simply was no need for elaborate costumes.

Hermione looked shocked when Snape spoke. "I know how upsetting you must find all this. It is all rather unexpected."

Hermione's eyes flashed with anger. She got up and began to pace the room, much as Snape had earlier. "That's just it, professor. I should have expected it. Uncle Soren was always hinting but I never caught on. Mum never talked about my hypothetical wedding like my muggle friends mothers did. Dad would always get sad when I'd mention wanting to be this or that when I grew up. I should have figured it out! I can help Harry defeat the Dark Lord and I can get 107 on a charms test but I can't realize what is going on in my own LIFE!" Hermione slammed her head against the wall and Snape barley stopped himself from reaching out to stop her.

"Why me, Professor? Why me? What did I do to fate? Uncle Soren has lived for so long as a simple steward to a dead house, why couldn't he leave it be? I am so..."

"Frightened?" Snape ventured.

She nodded. Tears shown in her eyes but she wouldn't let them fall. Snape didn't try to restrain himself this time. He stood and awkwardly took her into a hug. "You can cry, child. You deserve a good cry."

"To cry is to be weak, and to be weak is to fail." Hermione had already started sobbing by the time the words came out. She was desperately holding onto to Snape's robes and he suddenly wished he had stopped his foolish move at comfort. She was ruining the silk.

"Did Soren say that?" He asked quietly and she nodded. "When?"

"This Christmas break when I heard him talking to mum about his plans for me. I got angry and started to cry. He said I was not worthy of the Penwraths and that the only way to save the family was to do as he said. I'm not weak, I'm not. I just..." Snape remembered Dumbledore comforting a Ravenclaw a year ago and how the man had held her and rubbed circles on her back. He tried it and the child seemed to calm down a bit. The old man must have something there, he thought.

"I didn't stay to let my uncle explain. I didn't want to listen to him try and lie his way out of it. That's why I got the letter I showed you. Uncle Soren can be so sweet one second and the next..." A large sob made the next word unintelligible.

Snape reached up and brushed the wild hair of his new wife out of her eyes. The child was a mess. The lack of sleep the night before combined with the tears had made her eyes red and blood shot. Her face was streaked with tear tracks and she was gulping air on the verge of hyperventilating. Snape realized how close to a breakdown the girl must have been these last few days since Winter break had passed. He slowly lowered her to the couch and continued to hold her. He was unsure what to do with her. When one of his Slytherins needed comfort a simple hand on the shoulder was normally enough physical contact. At the most a hug sufficed. This Gryffindor 6th year seemed to need full body contact. And as unappealing as a sopping wet teenager was, Snape was feeling the effects of her proximity. As he had told Lucius, celibacy was over rated.

What seemed like hours later the child pulled herself together and moved away from him. She looked up with now dry eyes that still shown red and gave a small smile. "Thank you, sir. I think I needed to do that." He was reminded of her laughter from before, instead of slapping her he placed his hand on her cheek. She hid her flinch well. He withdrew his hand and looked at the fire.

"We have to do this don't we?" Her voice was once again meek. Snape decided he much preferred her yelling at someone. Although he made a mental note to avoid being on the receiving end. The hidden Weasley genes showed through in her ability to scream effectively. Snape took a moment to wonder how Molly, a Bones by birth, had developed the attitude and abilities of a Weasley female. He briefly considered that marriage might have imbued her with her husband's family traits. Severus silently prayed the Snape patented sarcasm wouldn't rub off on the child.

He stopped his train of thought and turned back to his wife. "Yes child, we do." He answered her question with reluctance.

Hermione nodded and held his gaze. "Why do you call me child?" Her voice wavered a bit on the last word.

"To remind me of what you are. At times you seem so much a grown up, Hermione. You can talk like one when you wish. You have reasoned like one for far longer than I care to admit. But you are still a child. I must not forget that." Snape reminded himself as he spoke that a child really was sitting next to him. His wife yes, but a 16 year old none the less.

Hermione slowly nodded and took a sip of her brandy. She had barley touched hers and Snape had already summoned a second glass. He supposed it was because he was use to it. The girl slowly responded to his explanation; Snape was almost sorry she had. "You seem different to me since I asked for help. You have been treating me almost like an equal."

Severus heard the question in her tone. "You showed maturity by asking for help instead of rushing in like a typical member of your house and doing something rash. There is a story that back when Albus taught here as the Transfiguration professor, before Riddle, a Gryffindor killed herself when faced with a marriage such as this. She had not told anyone of what was happening. Her father was an auror and had pushed her into the marriage to try and advance his career. You are not that imbecilic. There for you deserve a modicum of respect." Snape had looked back at Hermione just as he mentioned the suicide story. He saw the guilt flash in her eyes and he realized she must have considered it.

"You didn't do it, child, and that is what matters." Hermione drew back a little when she realized her face had betrayed her.

"I didn't really consider it for long, Professor. But...I did think about it." She admitted.

"Anyone would." Snape paused for a sip and went on with his earlier train of thought. "You said I've been treating you like an equal. I have to, you are now my wife. I could not stand to treat you like a student and live with you. I can't keep up the role of the bastard-greasy-git of a potion's master all the time."

Hermione laughed and graced him with a brush of her hand on his arm. Snape repressed the tingles that shot though him at the willing contact, minus tears. He blamed his reaction on his long unwilling celibacy and the bond. The magic involved in the marriage ceremony was demanding completion; he could feel it crawling inside him.

"If you can't treat me like a student, how can you call me a child?"

Snape sighed. "I must find a balance. You are not my equal, nor are you simply a student. You are on your way from one to another. Perhaps I can speed that along. Although that is selfish of me. You're childhood is yours and should not be rushed."

The girl turned serious. "Professor, my childhood started rushing by in first year when I saw a troll. It picked up pace when I risked my life to stop the theft of the philosopher's stone. It began to careen out of control when I broke into your office and stole the ingredients to brew a Polyjuice Potion." Snape's eyes grew large. "You can punish me later." Hermione gave a half hearted smile. "I believe my childhood was close to the finish when I blasted you against a wall and time-turned back to save a convict from a Dementor's kiss. My childhood ended when I heard my Uncle tell my mother that I would be an 'effective barging tool' in his plans and that my happiness was 'inconsequential to the grand scheme', and she agreed."

Snape stared at her for a moment, his mind trying to process everything she'd just confessed to. "You STOLD from me? And when did you brew Polyjuice? And YOU let Black go free!" Snape was not pleased.

"Yes, 2nd year, and Yes." Hermione cringed and sunk back when Snape's eyes went more black then their normal obsidian.

Severus took a few breaths and refrained from hitting her. He kept reminding himself that she had helped save the stone, she had been petrified for a month, Black was innocent...and then it hit him. "Second year?" Hermione nodded. "You brewed...in second year. I am impressed Miss Gr...child." He meant it.

Hermione cringed at what was rapidly becoming a pet name.

Snape noticed and softened his tone. "Does it bother you when I call you that? I can stop if you would like."

Hermione shook her head. "No, it's not the name, it's actually rather...sweet." Hermione suddenly cringed. "It's just that, well... the whole polyjuice incident isn't the best of memories. You remember that I missed some time back in second year?" Snape nodded. "I thought I had a hair from Millicent Bulstrode, but it was from her cat."

Snape started to chuckle. He only laughed harder when Hermione glared at him and punched his arm. "You should always check that kind of thing out very carefully. There are spells to check where a hair comes from."

"I know that now, I just didn't then."

Snape smirked and Hermione suddenly grew quite. "We need to..."

Snape lost his smirk and touched her arm gently in concern. "Are you sure, Hermione? We can wait."

She sighed deeply, blinking slowly. "No, someone will check. It will only take one spell in the hallway to show that I'm still a virgin and then people will question the validity of the bonding. You'll get in trouble with Voldemort and I don't want that. You've done too much for me to allow me to jeopardize you like that, and over something so harmless." They stared at each other for what seemed like hours, neither one making a move.

Hermione closed her eyes briefly and when they opened again they shown with a steel like determination. She decided to make the first move before she lost her nerve, otherwise she got the feeling they'd be there forever just looking at each other. She lightly ran her hand behind Severus' neck, half expecting him to shy away. He allowed himself to be pulled down but he started the kiss moving faster than the girl expected – taking some of the weight of the situation off her shoulders. Hermione gasped as he kissed her harder than she had anticipated. She tried to pull back, more from shock than anything else, but Severus had moved his arm behind her holding her to him. He knew the longer this took the more nervous she would become. The magic in their bonding was humming louder. If they kept it waiting much longer they wouldn't have any control at all over what happened.

After a moment she gave in and let him taste her. She shivered as his hand moved to the graze her body through her robes. They separated and she blushed as he lightly cupped her breast with his hand, deliberately holding her gaze as he did so. Severus bit back a chuckle as Hermione moaned under him when he bit her ear lobe and moved his lips slowly down her neck. His light kisses were quickly driving any apprehension out of his inexperienced wife, the bonding making her rapidly forgot their present circumstances.

Snape thanked the gods the conversation had eased Hermione's tension. He could only stand having what was now his for the taking sitting in front of him without devouring it, for so long. He had been without this kind of contact longer than he cared to think about. He was quite deliberately pushing the part of his mind reminding him he was about to fuck a child, and a student none the less, out of the way. He concentrated on the little voice that sounded remarkably like Lucius that was telling him to get her out of those robes. The Hogwarts crest for Gryffindor house was not helping him any.

The clasp on the student robe fell easily to his attentions. The child hardly seemed to notice. She had spaced out when Snape's hand had moved up under her skirt and robes to find her bare thigh.

Her own hands had begun to try and explore him but he stopped their wanderings by pinning them above her. She gave a little sound of frustration when her curiosity was not allowed release. He smirked at her and used his free hand to start on her blouse buttons. They weren't very easy to open one handed. He let her go to get them open to find she used the time to somehow divest him of both his robes and start on the long line of buttons on his jacket. He silently thanked the nameless ancient wizard that had added the need for sexual completion compulsion to the bonding spells. It was certainly making this easier on Hermione and thus on him.

"Shouldn't we...oh god do that again...no wait. Bed. Need a bed Professor. I always wanted my first time in a bed and not on a couch. Oh yes...lower...ahhhhh...I didn't..didn't get..oh my goddess! What was that you just did...nevermind just do it aga...thank YOU!...what...bed...I didn't get my dress..I want my bed...mummm."

Snape cut off the disjointed commentary by kissing her again. He had already gotten her out of that ridiculous uniform Dumbledore insisted on. Bobby socks indeed. He left Hermione panting when he withdrew his attentions to focus on her words. "What was that you wanted, my dear?" He smirked

Her eyes remained slightly glazed as she stumbled for thought. It was an unusual sight. "Bed…please?"

Severus let out a chuckle that made Hermione quiver. He made a mental note to experiment with that later. He remembered the comments made about his voice that morning. He picked her up and whispered in her ear on the way to his bed. "And what do you want a bed for, child? Certainly you must have something in mind?"

Hermione reluctantly let him go as he set her on the bed. She grabbed him as he tried to move back to start on her undergarments. Her hands shook as she went after his buttons. This time he let her get his jacket off but stopped her from undoing his shirt. She looked at him with a question in her eyes. He shook his head.

She suddenly lost her nerve at his reluctance and she self-consciously tried to gain some cover for herself. Snape realized his mistake and to try and reassure her of his interest he bent his attentions to her neck. He slowly kissed and sucked his way down her body till he reached the top of her bra. He noted it was not white like he expected, but a very dark red, almost black. He found her choice interesting. The matching underwear she had chosen for her wedding night were not what most would have gone with. Dark red as opposed to white. He liked the unorthodox choice.

He fumbled for a moment with the hook and eyes on the back of the puzzling piece of clothing. He finally got it undone. But while his attentions where diverted Hermione had once again attacked his clothing. He found his shirt was untucked and pulled back and she was staring at his exposed chest. He felt a wave of apprehension as he felt the hesitant touch on his left arm. The Mark stood out black on his white skin. A shiver ran over him as she paused a moment to study it. The curiosity he was so use to on her face drove her self-consciousness away and the nervousness began to look like fascination.

Severus decided he did not like being the object of scrutiny. He ended the increasingly more brazen touches by pinching a nipple. A strangled cry of surprise rewarded him. He tried his chuckle again. It had the same effect of sending shivers down the girl's body. Logically, he knew she had every right to explore him, but he wasn't about to risk it.

Somehow he had finally succeeded in ignoring the voice in his head that was screaming STUDENT! The one that sounded like Lucius had stupefied it sometime earlier, around when he had pushed her panties down and off.

Hermione seemed to have also over come whatever conflict she had been engaged in earlier. All her small attempts to hide herself had stopped and she was content to lie on the bed and moan incoherently while Severus sucked on her breasts and played with her curls. Her own hands had taken up their wanderings again and she had found her husbands chest to be of particular interest, even if he did try to hide the rest of himself.

Severus let out his own moan when Hermione suddenly pushed him over and straddled him. He took notice of her eyes as she smirked. They had lost their normal brown color and changed to softly glowing amber. His mind told him that was not normal and he should study it. He told it to go to hell when the girl's hands reached into his trousers and released his desperately hard cock.

The voice obeyed willingly when she began to study him with her tongue. Where had she learned that! Virgin my arse, Snape thought as she lightly grazed the top played with him. A small lick of the tip and she crawled up his body to plant an insistent kiss on his lips. He tasted himself in her mouth and growled. He was shocked by an answering sound from her. His voice was back telling him to be careful, that something was not right here. It disappeared as he found out that Hermione was capable of returning his favors. She had found HIS nipples.

"Turn around is fair play, hum?" Hermione's voice was laced with a tone Severus never dreamed he'd hear from a Gryffindor and directed at him. He moaned again as she licked all the way down his chest and back up to grace him with another kiss.

The Lucius voice was cheering. He really didn't need that right now. He realized that he didn't have long to get to his goal of deflowering his wife. He was rapidly approaching orgasm and he had a job to do. No need for distractions.

Severus flipped positions and looked into Hermione's eyes. Their color had only gone more golden, almost an orange now instead of the bright amber. She was panting and so was he. He kissed her again. He couldn't help it for some reason. When he ended it she gave a loud huff of protest.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" His voice was shaking.

"Merlin yes!"

Severus wisely decided she meant it and carefully entered Hermione. She gave a startled yelp, but he kissed her and she quieted. Her hips rose a bit and she whined when he didn't move. Grinning he laughed at her impatience. "Wait child, don't rush things."

"You are an inhuman monster! Move damn it!"

The command was obeyed, much to both parties' satisfaction. Severus was determined to make Hermione feel every possible pleasure in the act. It was her first time and he didn't think he'd ever get the chance again. After all, the bonding only required consummation, not regular maintenance and Hermione was doing this for survival only. He lent down and purred into her ear. "Come for my Child. I want to hear you, feel you, see you. Come Child, come my little one just for me."

Hermione gasped and cried out, "PROFESSOR!"

Severus gave into his own pleasure as Hermione quivered through hers beneath him. He went to move away from her after he composed himself. He didn't expect her to want to him near now that the bonding had been satisfied and he could feel the magic waning. It was a surprise when she clutched at him and gathered him closer to her. He muttered a quick spell and the covers were suddenly above them.

Hermione blinked in surprise. "You did that without a wand."

Severus nodded. "I can teach you later." Hermione's enthusiastic nodding almost made him laugh, but he was too tired to give the effort. Hermione settled down as close to him as possible and seemed almost to be trying to melt into him. He shivered.

"You called me professor."

She looked up. "What should I call you?"

"My name is Severus." He suddenly realized how wrong it was to have someone yelling out professor as they came.

"So I can use your name?" Her eyes were slowly going back to the amber color and Severus again wondered about the change.

"Of course you can." He paused, "In bed. Only in bed."

"Oh, so I can't call you Severus in the middle of dinner in the Great Hall then. I was looking forward to that. I can see all the pumpkin juice flying across the room." She was smiling, looking only a little bit nervous at teasing him.

Snape did give a weak chuckle. He was having trouble keeping his eyes open. He had always been bad about falling asleep like this. He had meant what he said to Lucius about needing to trust his sexual partner. And Severus didn't trust easily. He gave a start as Hermione tried again to snuggle closer.

"Can I call you Severus when we're alone? In your quarters."

"Our quarters. And yes you may."

The girl smiled and he bent and kissed her again. He didn't know why. She would most likely push him away. He was surprised when she stayed in the tender kiss and even more so when he looked in her eyes after they parted. She didn't look scared anymore. She almost looked happy.

"Do we get to do this again some time Severus?"

The name sounded strange coming from a student's lips. Severus almost didn't hear the question. "Of course we can," He cringed. "If you want to that is." He cursed the unsure tone his voice had taken. It was clear that he was now the nervous one. His fears were washed away by the tiny voice that answered him after a slight yawn.

"Good, because I can't believe I've been missing that. I really need to stop reading and get a life."

Snape felt himself smiling and wondered when he had done that so much in one day before. He rested head back down on the pillow and let sleep claim him. Tomorrow would be a long hard day. Tomorrow Hogwarts would find out.