The Burning Pen

A Looping of the Scales by Ruth Solomon

The story content is adult in nature and can contain graphic sex and violence.  Those under the age of 18 are asked to leave this site immediately.  You are not welcome here.  The author is not responsible for those under-aged who view these works.

CHAPTER 67

All recognizable characters belong to JKR. No $$$ is being made from this fanfic.
**************************************

Chapter 67 ~ Strange Responses

Having finally said the words, Hermione waited for Snape to respond with joyful jubilation at her admission. But the young wizard simply looked at her and didn’t say a word.

”I said I love you,” she repeated, frowning at him.

”I heard you,” Snape replied.

Hermione blinked at him.

”Well?”

”Well what?”

“Don’t you have anything to say?”

“Yes, I do. Go back to your studies.”

”WHAT?”

“I said go back to your studies, Hermione. Is that so difficult to understand?”

Hermione couldn’t believe this. She finally tells Severus how she feels about him and his response is for her to go back to her studies? Why the big prat!

”I take it back!” she snarled at him.

He quirked his lips.

”You can’t. It’s already been said. It’s not like you handed me something you can retrieve,” Snape said calmly.

“I can’t believe you! After all that—that emoting you did earlier this week about my not admitting I loved you, you act like this? What kind of game are you playing, Severus? I pour out my heart to you—“

”If that’s pouring out your heart, Hermione, then you have a very tiny vessel,” Snape responded evenly.

”All right, maybe I didn’t wrap it in all the mushiness you did, but it was straight to the point. Those three words said all that needed to be said,” she told him angrily.

”Do you really think so? I haven’t seen you all week and then you pop in here, tell me you love me as if it’s the hardest thing in the world to say and expect me to break into song. Well, I’m not that easy.” Snape said, pointing his nose in the air a bit.

Hermione turned mottled, she was so pissed off. The nerve. If she had her wand—

”I shouldn’t have told you anything. I should have known you’d act like a git about it. Honestly. I think I will go back to my studies,” she hissed. “I shouldn’t have even come here!”

With that, Hermione turned and stormed out of the area, leaving Snape sitting on the cot.

The moment she left, the wizard smiled broadly.

She loved him.

”Yesssss!” he said softly, thrusting both arms into the air in victory.

The reason he hadn’t reacted as Hermione expected was two-fold. Firstly, he was mad she hadn’t come to see him all week and hid out rather than face him again when he called her on her feelings. Secondly, the infirmary wasn’t the proper place to admit her love or for him to express his happiness. It was a “safe” setting. Telling him she loved him there provided her some protection from what could have been a deeply affecting moment. They were alone, but not truly alone.

Snape lay back down on the cot, folding his arms behind his head and looking up at the ceiling.

They’d be alone tomorrow evening when he was released. Then he’d show her just how much her admission meant to him.

In spades.

*********************************************

Harry was sitting outside the infirmary, waiting for Hermione. He stood up as she stormed out and stomped past him furiously. He blinked after her then ran to catch up.

”So, how did it go? Did you tell him?” Harry asked as Hermione marched down the corridor.

”Yes, I told him, the big arsehole,” she hissed.

Arsehole? That wasn’t a term Harry had been expecting.

”So how did it go? What did he say?” Harry pressed as they came to the end of the corridor and waited for a shifting stairwell to slide over.

”He told me to go back to my studies,” Hermione replied. “He said he wasn’t about to break into song about it. Can you imagine that? Oh, I wish I could take it back. I knew I shouldn’t have told him, but you—you just had to press the issue, didn’t you, Harry? Tell him you love him, Hermione.”

Hermione used a nasally, nagging voice to imitate Harry’s goading. Harry looked perplexed as they stepped on the stairs.

”I don’t understand. He was so—so earnest about it all,” Harry said.

Hermione snorted.

“He always seems earnest. That’s a good quality when you’re a conniving, insensitive Slytherin,” she spat. “He’s really good at leading Gryffindors on.”

”What, you don’t believe he loves you?” Harry asked her as they changed stairs again, heading down to the entrance hall.

Hermione sighed.

”Yes, I believe him when I’m right there with him, Harry. I do. But—but this? I don’t know what to make of this. I go to him and tell him I return his feelings and he practically kicks me out. And they say witches are fickle,” she muttered.

“Maybe he’s mad at you for not visiting him all week, Hermione. You’ve been gone for days then all of the sudden you just pop up and tell him you love him—“

Hermione looked at Harry incredulously. She wouldn’t have “popped up” at all if he hadn’t dragged her to the infirmary in the first place.

”Give me my wand back,” she demanded, glaring at him. It wasn’t hard to see what she was thinking. Her expression was murderous.

”Oh no,” Harry replied. “I need running room before I do that. You’ll hex me off the stairs if I gave it back now.”

”Am I that transparent?”

”Definitely.”

”I could always push you,” Hermione said with narrowed eyes.

Harry grabbed hold of the banister.

They rode the rest of the way down to the entrance hall in silence and Harry walked her back to Snape’s office. They just missed Ron and Susan walking out of the Hufflepuff side of the dungeons, Ron stuffed to the gills and holding Susan’s hand. It was just as well. Seeing smarmy Ron all goo-goo eyed over his girlfriend wasn’t something Hermione needed to see right now, especially after Snape gave her the boot.

Harry and Hermione passed a couple of Slytherins on the way, but they didn’t greet each other. When they reached Snape’s office, Hermione held out her hand pointedly.

”My wand,” she said stonily.

Harry blinked at her, slowly drew her wand out of his pocket, then quickly threw it down the corridor.

”HARRY!” Hermione yelled at him as he bolted up the hall, zig-zagging. Hermione ran to retrieve her wand but Harry had burned tile and was too far away to hex. Besides, there were more students in the corridor.

”Blast,” Hermione hissed, unwarding the door and letting herself into Snape’s office.

She had so wanted to set Harry’s arse aflame.

Hermione returned to her work, trying not to think about Severus’ cool response to her admittance. But, occasionally she’d exclaim, “ooh, that git!” and “Oh, what an arse!” under her breath.

Well, when he got out tomorrow, he’d get an even colder reception than she had. She’d pretend like she didn’t even care he was back. That would show him.

Oh, the best laid plans—

*****************************************

Poppy had a time with Snape the next morning after removing his bandages. He had several scars on his back as a permanent reminder of his determination to save the witch he loved. He studied the scars using a magical mirror. They weren’t too terrible. He could live with them. He never saw how badly he was scarred as an adult. These marks were nothing.

Poppy told Severus he would have to stay several more hours just for observation.

”It’s obvious I’m fine,” Snape said impatiently.

”I’ll be the one to decide that, Severus, not you. Now, back to bed with you.”

”Can’t I at least have my robes?”

”Your robes? Why? So you can sneak out of here the moment my back is turned? No, you may not have them. I haven’t even sent for them yet.”

”My wand, then.”

”That’s worse than your robes! You will get what you need when I release you and not before then. Stop being so troublesome.”

So, Snape sulked most of the day. He couldn’t wait to get out of there and see Hermione.

He had quite a return planned.

****************************************

”I’ve never seen a patient dress so quickly in all my time at Hogwarts,” Poppy said as Snape emerged from behind the privacy curtain. “Well, then again, you always were quick to leave here, Severus.”

”My wand?” he asked, holding out his hand.

”Here you go,” the mediwitch responded, pulling it out of her apron pocket. Snape quickly put it in his own.

”You’re free to go,” Poppy said to the wizard.

”Thank you, Madam Pomfrey, for everything,” he told her soberly.

”You’re very welcome, Severus,” she replied, smiling as he strode away.

”No arduous activity for at least a week!” she called after him.

Snape exited without a response.

He wasn’t about to take that advice.

***************************************************
CLICK HERE FOR INTERACTIVE MUSIC
http://www.theburningpen.com/loop/loop.m3u
***************************************************

Snape quickly rode the stairwell down to the entrance hall and was about to enter the dungeons when he heard his name called.

Blast it all.

He turned to see a smiling Harry and Ginny walking towards him. They were just leaving supper.

”Hi. You’re out,” Harry said, stating the obvious. Snape fought the urge to roll his eyes. Ginny gave him a little wave and smile.

”Yes I am. And I’m in a hurry,” Snape said shortly.

”Yeah, I imagine you are. I just want to warn you Hermione is in a right mood. She’s mad that you kicked her out last night,” Harry said with a frown.

”She’ll be fine,” Snape said. “I have to go, Harry. I’ll talk to you later. Goodbye Ginny.”

And he billowed down the dungeon stairwell.

”Seems he’s not worried about Hermione being mad,” Harry said, taking Ginny’s hand and starting up the marble staircase.

Ginny gave a knowing smile.

”No, he’s not,” she agreed.

******************************************

Hermione tried not to look at the clock as she worked. Severus would be returning soon and it didn’t matter in the least. She’d say hello and continue to work as if everything were normal and he’d never been away.

She started slightly as she heard the wall slide open, but didn’t look over at it. She continued to write. Let him be the first to speak.

All she heard was the wall slide back, then silence. She could feel his presence, but he didn’t say anything. Hermione tried to focus, to keep writing, but the quiet was getting to her. Finally, she looked over at Snape, who was standing in front of the wall looking back at her.

“Welcome back,” she said coldly, then turned back to her books. All right, so she did speak first. So what? It had been nice and icy.

”Say it now,” Snape said quietly.

Hermione looked at him.

”Say what?” she asked, her heart starting to flutter at the covetous way he was looking at her. She knew what he wanted to hear.

”Tell me that you love me,” he breathed, tensed and trembling slightly.

”No. I did it once and you just—just kicked me out,” she replied, but her heart was pounding.

Snape stared at her for a moment, then walked over and yanked her out of the chair, crushing his lips to hers and snogging her soundly. His kiss was hot, hungry and desperate as he held her close, breathing in the scent of her, feeling the rush of her skin, the world seeming to spin as he let his emotion and elation wash over the both of them.

They continued to kiss, their heads turning this way and that, tongues entwining, mouths connecting over and over, Hermione feeling Snape’s desire snaking through her belly as he pressed against her in an unmistakable manner.

”Oh, Severus—what—“ Hermione gasped at him when he let her up for air.

”Don’t ask me,” he said softly. “Just go with this—take me higher, Hermione. I’ve missed you and I want you. I want you to say the words again. Please. The infirmary wasn’t the place to tell me. There was nothing I could do about it then. But now—now Hermione, I can show you how I feel. Say it.”

Hermione looked into his dark eyes. They were wet and pleading.

”I love you, Severus Snape,” she said softly.

”Yes,” he breathed, covering her mouth with his own again and backing her away from the desk gently until they reached the wall near his bedroom door. He pressed her against it, the scent of leather mingling with her scent.

”I want you,” he breathed, pulling her hair aside and kissing the side of her throat. Hermione’s eyes went half-lidded as he suckled it gently. Still, she tried to protest—a little.

”But Severus I have to—“

”You have to get naked,” he finished. “We both do. You have to let me inside you. That’s all you have to do tonight, Hermione. You’re all I want. Don’t deny me. Let me feel your love.”

”Oh, Severus,” she breathed as he slowly began to unbutton her robes.

*******************************************
A/N: Mmmm. Go Snape! Lol.

PLEASE REVIEW A Looping of the Scales"." >>> NEXT CHAPTER

Story Index