Chapter 54: Girl's Night Out

Wizard Mike's Bar, Wizarding World...

It had been Ginny Potter's idea to have a girl's night, she wanted to blow off some steam with Harry and the boys constantly being a handful on a day to day basis. She invited Susan along knowing that the witch deserved a much needed break from Ron. Hermione had been free from her duties from Hogwarts for the night, since she was not head of any house, she didn't need to be on call after hours. It had all been utterly perfect. Ginny insisted that Harry and Ron babysit while she dragged her sister-in law and best friend out for a night on the town. The three young witches had gone out dancing and enjoyed a few drinks. Hermione had been the only single witch in the bunch, but she didn't seem all that bothered by it. Susan had not been out before and it was a rare treat for her to see someplace other than a family oriented zone. The music had been decent and everyone seemed to be in a good mood. Not that the three witches couldn't handle it if any trouble broke out. Ginny sipped on her club soda as she watched her best friend take in the scene.

"When was the last time you've even been on a date?" Ginny asked.

Hermione took a sip of the red sweet frozen substance she ordered. It had been a Muggle drink that the bartender told her was a frozen strawberry daiquiri. She had never really tasted alcohol before but found this sweet flavored drink to be of her liking. Susan had one as well, but sipped her's sparingly.

"You remember that creep Lester Foxworth?" asked Hermione.

"The one that tried to stick his tongue down your throat when you were ordering dinner?" asked Ginny.

"Yep." said Hermione. "That was the last date I've been on."

"Wow." said Susan joining the conversation. "That was like over three years ago."

Hermione nodded taking another sip of her drink.

"That's terrible." said Ginny shaking her head.

Hermione shrugged.

"Where do you get them from Wizard-Creeps-R-Us?" asked Susan with an arched brow.

"Possibly." replied Hermione honestly. "Anyway, I've been spending most of my time working so I haven't had much of a social life."

"An understatement if ever I've heard one." said Ginny.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at her friend and continued sipping her drink.

After the first hour and a half Hermione and Susan ordered a couple more drinks. Ginny remained with her non-alcoholic club soda. After the third hour and seeing how much fun her friends were having Ginny ordered the same drink for herself. The girls had started having fun dancing and chatting as if nothing else in the world mattered at that moment except good company.

Another thirty minutes had Ginny pushing Hermione off on good looking bachelors. Her reasoning had been that her friend needed to get laid and they were not going to leave until she found some suitable male company

. Hermione grew bold in her newly liberated state.

"The only suitable male company I need is back at Hogwarts locked in Slytherin dungeons." she said aloud via the boldness afforded to her by her very many drinks that night.

Ginny started giggling.

Susan's jaw dropped.

"Really?" said Ginny. "And does this suitable company have a name?"

Hermione glared at her best friend undoubtedly fired up.

"Yes." she replied indignant due to being intoxicated. "He does."

"I'm all ears." said Ginny knowing exactly who she meant, but wanting her friend to at least admit it to herself.

"Severus Sebastian Snape." replied Hermione out loud for the first time in years.

"Mione, just because Snape wanted you as Sebastian doesn't mean that he'd want you now." said Ginny goading her friend a bit.

Hermione scoffed.

"Stupid Slytherin git." she said in annoyance. "How does he always have the nerve to be so in control all the time?"

Ginny laughed and sipped her drink.

"I should strangle him for making me wait on him this long." said Hermione still very much indignant.

"Are you going to go back to Hogwarts and give him a piece of your mind?" asked Ginny still goading her friend to do what she should have done the moment she returned to Hogwarts.

Susan shook her head.

"Are you two not aware that this is Professor Snape you are talking about?" she asked in confusion at the whole prospect of their idea.

"I dare you to go see him." said Ginny reaching maximum goading status with Hermione.

"What?" asked Hermione feeling a bit of her senses return but having trouble competing with her new found boldness.

"You heard me." replied Ginny sipping her drink. "I dare you to confront Snape and tell him how you really feel."

Hermione glared at her friend. She had been issued a direct challenge and in her current state there was no way that she was going to back down.

"You're on." she replied with a fire burning behind her amber eyes.

Later...

Ginny and Susan helped Hermione apparate back to Hogwarts. She had been pretty drunk and they had not wanted her to get splinched in the process.

They saw her through the door as she made her way toward the Slytherin dungeons with one thing on her mind.

Confronting Severus Snape.

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Severus Snape's Quarters, Slytherin Dungeons, Hogwarts...

Severus Snape had been asleep when the constant pounding at his door roused him. The pale wizard grumbled as he forced himself to part with his dreams and get out of bed clad in silk pajama pants. He stood up with his bare feet coming into contact with the cold floor below. His raven hair had curtained around his face making it hard for one to see his eyes as she reached his front room and opened the large wooden door. His first thought as he heard the incessant pounding was to hex whomever it had been that was fool enough to pound on his door at such a late hour.

He had been momentarily stunned when he saw that Hermione Granger had been on the other side of it, looking disheveled with a slight sway about her. Her amber eyes had been blazing and her bushy hair had been more wild that he had ever seen it with the exception of when they were in bed together.

"Miss Granger." said Snape irate. "What the hell are you doing knocking on my door at this ungodly hour of the night?"

Hermione had been unphased by his aggressive tone.

She pushed passed him and entered his front room with a boldness that he had never seen from her before. Snape arched an eyebrow as he watched her taking in all the signs and finally concluded that she had been good and drunk.

That explains it.

What else could it be?

"You have some nerve you, stupid Slytherin git." said Hermione in an angry fashion.

Snape closed his door and turned his attention to the intoxicated witch standing with her arms folded across her chest with a heated glare fixed on him.

"I beg your pardon." replied Snape.

"How could you just go about your days and act like nothing ever happened?" she said angry. "How could you pretend like everything is like it was knowing what we did?"

Snape sighed.

Great.

If I had any doubts about her being drunk they are out the window now.

"Miss Granger, we've been over this." he said trying hard not to lose his temper in the wake of her drunken display.

"Don't you Miss Granger me, Severus Snape." spat Hermione still angry. "I'm not your damn student...and I'm not even sure you have the right to use that "professor" tone with me anyway."

Snape let out an exasperated sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Hermione, we've been over this a dozen times." he said. "What happened back then was nobody's fault."

"To hell with it being nobody's fault." replied Hermione still indignant in her drunken state.

She advanced on him before he could blink.

The compounded rage pouring off her in waves.

"I gave myself to you, you git!" she said beating her hands against his chest. "I gave myself to you and all you do is walk around like it never happened."

Snape caught her by the wrists.

"Hermione." he said as if struggling with himself. "Stop this."

Tears streamed down the young witch's cheeks.

"Why should I?" she asked bitterly as the tears continued.

Snape glared at her.

"You think you are the only one that had to suffer through this?" he snapped. "It wasn't as if the past five years were any easier on me."

Hermione looked up to see the fire burning behind his obsidian eyes.

They stood glaring at each other for a few seconds before Snape leaned down and his pale lips crashed into her soft pink ones. Hermione found that her heart was pounding in her chest as Snape suddenly lifted her off the ground and carried her into his bedroom. Spurred on by the heat of the moment she found herself feeling the softness of his mattress as her back pressed against it with his lean body over hers.

They continued to kiss never letting up as their breath became increasingly ragged.

"Severus." she said in a breathless moan.

Snape had still been fighting himself. He wanted nothing more than to simply take what the young beautiful witch was offering him, but he had known that the only reason she had been there was because she had been drunk.

"Hermione." he said reluctantly pulling away from her despite his apparent arousal in the heat of the moment.

She let out something close to a whimper at the loss of contact from his body.

"Severus please...." she said softly stroking his bare torso hoping to entice him.

"No." said Snape catching her hands via the wrists and attempting to put an end to what was happening while he still had control over himself. "Now is not the time."

Hermione got to her knees and attempted to straddle him. Snape let out a grunt when she came in contact with his erection. He shifted and slammed her onto the bed pinning her wrists above her bushy head. Her amber eyes flickered with heat as she looked up at him. Her slender frame writhing beneath him as she arched her body into his desperate for more contact.

"Please Severus." she said in a soft pleading tone that threatened to be the end of him. "Nobody has to know anything if that's what your worried about...it'll be our secret."

Snape's breathing became increasing ragged as he looked into her alluring amber eyes wanting nothing more in that moment to give in but knowing all too well that it wasn't the time.

"And are you going to lead me to my doom then siren?" he asked still struggling to keep control. "It's such a shame that I haven't a ship to be wrecked upon the rocks that lay at your feet."

Hermione looked at him still intent on having her way. She shifted beneath him grazing his prominent erection with her knee. The movement cause him to groan against his will. She smirked at last finding the weak link in his otherwise superior chain.

She moved to repeat the contact causing Snape to let out another involuntary groan.

"Blasted temptress from hell." he said annoyed that her antics were getting to him.

He shifted again still pinning her troublesome wrists above her head.

Hermione wasn't to be denied. She shifted beneath him causing the friction from where their bodies met to stir up more trouble for The Potions Professor. Again Snape let out an involuntary groan, but this time he gave an involuntary thrust as well. Unintentionally pressing his erection into Hermione's thighs.

"You are truly from the 2nd circle of hell, Miss Granger." he said still struggling against his baser nature. "You are too drunk to know what you are doing."

Hermione glared at him.

"I know what I want." she replied determined.

She arched beneath him and Snape felt his resolve slipping. The warmth from her slender body had been haunting his dreams of for the past five years. He longed for her more than he wished to admit for her to say the very words that came from her lips this very night.

The Potions Professor knew that he had been in trouble as the need for her began to fog his usually keen mind.

"I'm still not sure if you were sorted into the right house." he said attempting to distract her and himself via continued conversation. "You have more Slytherin tact than Narcissa Malfoy."

Hermione said nothing as she continued to try and sway his reasoning in her favor.

Snape sighed looking down at the Gryffindor witch.

"This is for your own good Hermione." he said at last in a desperate attempt to keep control over himself. "Dormi."

Within seconds Hermione Granger had fallen asleep.

Snape released her wrists trying to catch his breath as he looked down at the sleeping young witch in his bed.

He wondered how she would react come morning when she slept off the alcohol. The dour wizard shook his head and ventured into the loo. He had some unfinished business to take care of before he went to bed courtesy of a certain drunken young witch.

He grumbled about having to behave like a sixth year student as he closed the door behind him.

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Morning...

Hermione had been enjoying a rather peaceful sleep when the unmistakable scent of herbs and fresh earth came over her in waves. Her amber eyes sprang open. It took only a second for her to realize that she had not been in her bed or anywhere near her own quarters. The young witch sat up pulling the sheet that covered her chest with her. She felt something shift beside her and her eyes widened. Slowly she turned to her left and the sleeping form of Severus Snape had been stretched out beside her.

He had been shirtless and she assumed that he had been naked beneath the covers.

"Severus." said Hermione feeling her head start to throb all at once.

Snape's own eyes sprang open at the sound of his name being called.

"Morning Miss Granger." he said in a seemingly pleasant tone. "Feeling a little worse for wear are we?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him despite the onset of pain she felt.

Smug Git.

"Why am I in your bedroom?" she asked wincing from the pain in her head.

"You simply forced your way in." replied Snape not being able to resist teasing her.

Serves her right for her intrusion.

"What do you mean I forced my way in?" asked Hermione still wincing in reaction to her head throbbing.

"Apparently, after a night out with Mrs. Potter and Mrs. Weasley no doubt, you decided to take it upon yourself to barge into my quarters in the middle of the night and attempted rather comically, might I add, to have your wicked way with me." said Snape still teasing her about the previous night.

Hermione's mouth dropped open.

"Close your mouth Miss Granger before flies get in." said Snape impressed with his handy work.

Hermione looked at him stunned.

"Did we?" she asked unsure of how to say it out loud.

"Did we what Miss Granger?" asked Snape with an arched brow as if he had not been aware of what she'd been implying.

"You know very well what I am asking." said Hermione narrowing her eyes at him.

"What is the word they are using these days...I believe it's shag isn't it?" asked Snape still toying with the younger witch.

Hermione nodded.

"Did we shag?" said Snape completing her question. "Well, of course we did."

Hermione's mouth dropped open again.

She could not believe this was happening...again.

"Miss Granger, need I remind you about the flies." said Snape. "Anyway... as I was saying you and I engaged five years ago."

Hermione glared at the dour Potion Professor.

"You stupid git." she said angry.

"You forgot Slytherin." said Snape "if memory serves me correctly...you were quite fond of referring to me as a "Stupid Slytherin Git"...a name you kindly reminded me of last night."

Hermione smacked him across the chest.

Snape laughed and climbed out of bed.

"You made me think..." she said irate.

"That you and I engaged" said Snape finishing her sentence.

"Yes." said Hermione horrified.

"Well, we would have if you had gotten your wicked little way." replied Snape in a smug fashion. "Alas, I had no desire to bed such an intoxicated witch...well at least not without the convenient excuse of being intoxicated myself."

Hermione arched an eyebrow in confusion.

Snape smirked and walked out of the bedroom. He returned with an small phial with light blue liquid inside.

Hermione looked at it inquisitively.

The Potions Professor handed her the phial.

"Drink this." he instructed.

Hermione took the phial and looked at him with a questioning expression.

Snape rolled his eyes.

"For Merlin's sake Miss Granger, it's a bloody hangover draught." he said annoyed. "If I wished to poison you it would have been all to easy to do it last night although the idea of it now sorely breeds missed opportunity."

Hermione rolled her eyes this time as she took the small phial into her hands and drank down the contents. Feeling better almost instantly, the decidedly hung-over witch stretched and slipped out of Snape's bed getting to her feet. She cringed at the feel of his cold floor on her bare feet and made her way out into his front room behind him.

He grabbed a handful of floo powder and tossed it into the fireplace waiting until the flames turned emerald green. Hermione walked over to the floo and smiled as she looked over at Snape who had tried his hardest to fasten a scowl across his face. He stood with his chest bare clad in black silk pajama pants with his hair a mess just after awakening.

He had really been a gentleman.

A lesser wizard would have used her drunkenness as an opportunity to have their way with her. Hermione had been truly grateful to him for his self control. It wasn't as if the idea of sleeping with him put her off by any means it was just that she would have liked to be in full control of her faculties if and when it did occur. He had told her when he started mentoring her that he had no designs upon her person thought she had been grateful for his reluctance the previous night, she couldn't help but think that it had not been an entirely true statement on his part.

Hermione walked over to Snape and stood up on the tips of her toes. She kissed him softly on his pale sallow cheek once more.

Snape had barely any time to react before she backed away and stepped through the floo.

"Thank you." had been the last thing she said to him before giving directions to reach her quarters.

Snape stared at the floo in silence completely puzzled as to what had happened.

The images of the night before had still been fresh in his mind and the sensation of the young witch beneath him had been almost too much to bare even mentally.

The Potions Professor sighed and made his way over to one of his leather arm chairs sitting down while still staring at the empty fireplace.

What now?