3,236A/N: Thank you ever so much to all of you who reviewed Chapter One. You're wonderful. I'm pleased you liked it. Severus was a bit cantankerous at not being given his time in the spotlight, so while this began as a one-shot, it's now morphed into a multi chapter fic. I hope you like it.
xx-Kitten.
Darkness and Silence
By Kittenshift17
Chapter Two
Severus leaned against the wall of the shower, letting the frigidly cold spray cascade over his body and trying to get the wretchedly inappropriate thoughts out of his head. He was a fool. Never, in all his years of teaching, had he lowered or debased himself enough to have a fucked a student under his tutelage and he was beyond disgusted with himself over what had occurred late last night in his classroom.
As Head of Slytherin House, and as a man known to certain pureblood families as being aligned with the Dark Lord, Severus hadn't been lacking in offers from some of his senior female Slytherins, and he'd resolutely turned them all down. He had more respect for his position, and more than enough lies to keep track of as he played the treacherous double agent flitting between the Dark Lord and the Order of the Phoenix. He didn't need the complication of fucking a student and he didn't want to be a cradle-robbing cad who abused his position of power of any student.
And yet, he had fucked her.
She was insufferable. A know-it-all. Pompous. A Gryffindor. She was stubborn and arrogant and exceedingly annoying in his classes. She was a curly-haired, studious, passingly pretty girl. She certainly wasn't the type of breathtakingly beautiful specimen that ought to have lured him from his resistance and his abstinence. Beyond her wicked intellect, there was little that was altogether memorable or tempting about her.
And yet, he'd fucked her.
Severus pounded his fist against the cold stone wall of the shower in frustration. He'd fucked up. Badly. He knew it. Oh, he doubted the girl was the type to attempt to blackmail him over his moment of weakness. She would be too concerned by the thought of what her bumbling dunderheaded friends might say to find out she'd fucked him. She'd been too worried about the accusations of fucking teachers for her good grades. She was probably too smart to expose herself to their ridicule, and until last night, he'd thought her smart enough not to make so foolish a decision as to get within three feet of him.
He'd been stupid. It wasn't that he didn't fuck, though he admittedly hadn't in a while before last night. Not that many of his recent encounters had been of his own volition. He might've chosen to participate, but it was usually on the orders of the Dark Lord at a revel, or for the sake of making an example out of someone, or merely because it was expected of him. He didn't think any of his recent partners, save Miss Granger, had been any more willing than he.
And now he'd gone and cocked everything up, fucked one of his least favourite students, and let her catch him in a vulnerable state. Last night's meeting had not at all gone as planned and Severus had been disgruntled to learn some of his news to pass to the Dark Lord was second-hand knowledge thanks to a rat in their midst. He'd been punished by the Dark Lord, first with the Cruciatus curse, and then had been set upon by Greyback for the sake of leaving a mark. Severus knew the Dark Lord had intended to have the wolf scar him, so that he might remember in future to better do his job as a spy.
He might've stumbled back to the school in pain and dripping a trail of blood, but he had no excuse for his behaviour. The minute he'd spied the girl in the classroom, he should've sent her on her way, even before she could heal him. He hadn't. Severus loathed himself for his weakness to know that in a rare moment of deep Occlumination, he'd given in to the urge to let someone other than Albus and Poppy see the sacrifices he made for the sake of their safety. The girl was close with Potter, and already knew he was a Death Eater. He didn't have to hide it from her, and it might do some bloody good to have her be able to pass on to her friends that he suffered every time he went to the Dark Lord, rather than allowing them to think his loyalties were torn.
He should've sent her away. He should've screamed at her to get the hell out and he should've never let her touch him. But he hadn't. At first, the Occlumency making him distant and cold, Severus had hoped the girl might be able to help talk him back to his humanity – which he'd been in real danger of losing. She hadn't recoiled in terror at the sight of him in his mask, and she hadn't swooned or even balked at the sight of blood. As he'd hoped she might, she'd tried to help him.
Severus blinked his eyes open slowly, glaring at his cock where it jutted proudly despite the frigid water. The wretched thing was proud of itself. Fisting the appendage, Severus tried to will it to wilt. He shouldn't be standing in his morning shower with a hard dick, reliving memories of fucking a student. He had enough sins to agonise over without adding this, and yet his cock was determined to remind him.
He loathed that she'd been so warm, and so willing. He hadn't expected that. He'd sensed her wariness in cleaning him up and healing him. He'd known he made her nervous as he watched her, allowing her to undress him and to bathe his skin of blood. He'd never dreamed she'd peel him out of his trousers to heal his thigh, and he'd certainly never expected her to look at him so hotly as she realised she was touching him so intimately.
He could think of a million excuses for his actions. He'd been in pain. He'd been tortured at the meeting. He'd needed to regain and reaffirm his humanity. He'd been drinking. He'd been lonely and horny and fucking pathetic. She'd been there, and she'd been the one to say she didn't want to go.
All were true, all were valid, and all were still not fucking good enough to explain why he'd done what he did. He hadn't expected her to suck his cock. He'd thought maybe the little witch might try to kiss his lips and touch his skin, before balking and shying away. He should've known better than to doubt the nerve of a Gryffindor. She'd eagerly sucked him off and Severus couldn't remember the last time a witch had willingly and so enthusiastically lavished him with such attention. He couldn't remember the last time he'd allowed it.
Yet, Miss Granger had done so. She'd even protested having to stop before she was finished, and he smirked just a little, his hand beginning to smooth along the length of his shaft, the other twisting the hot-tap on since the cold wasn't cooling his ardour.
Severus shook his head to himself, closing his eyes and recalling the wet heat of her mouth, before recalling the sweet taste of her when he'd returned the favour. Circe's cunt, he was in over his head and he didn't know what to do about it. He wasn't concerned she would tell anyone, and he wasn't worried about being manipulated for better grades or kinder treatment. But this couldn't be allowed to continue, unaddressed. Not that his cock, or his hand, seemed to care much for his stern resolution.
He cursed when heat scalded down his back and shot up from his toes, all of it converging and squirting from the end of his cock. The spray of the shower washed it away and he wondered how in the hell he was supposed to get through the day when he'd have to face the witch in short order. He would be teaching the sixth years in Potions today, much to his displeasure thanks to an untimely illness of Horace's, and he had them again after lunch for Defence. Severus very much wanted to Avada himself at the thought.
How was he to teach her now? He'd never fucked a student. He rarely even fucked people he ever had to see or speak to again. How was he to sternly command Miss Granger and her peers to focus on their lessons when he knew what her cunt tasted like? How was he to sit at his desk in the Potions classroom without recalling the feel of her writhing in his lap, impaled upon his cock and squeezing him inside her velvet heat?
Oh, he could do it. He was a skilled Occlumens and used to feigning emotions and expressions for the sake of a role. Hell, he often did it in class, refraining from killing the hapless dunderheads under his tutelage, but he'd never done it for the sake of remaining stoic in the face of having fucked someone he ought not to have fucked. Gritting his teeth, Severus got on with his shower, washing his hair and his skin thoroughly to ensure no trace of blood or Miss Granger's essence remained. He would never be able to look her in the eye if he could still taste her on his tongue, and right now, he could.
Scowling, Severus found his already surly demeanour worsening by the second as he prepared for the day, certain he was being mocked by whatever deity seemed to intent of royally fucking him over at every turn. He slammed the door to his quarters and he docked twenty house points, put three students in detention, and threatened another into wetting her pants all before breakfast.
~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~
"Bloody hell," Ron muttered as they made their way toward Charms right after breakfast that morning. "Might be best to skip Potions and Defence today. Snape's in fine form."
Harry was nodding before Hermione could even open her mouth.
"You can't just skip two lessons for the day just because you're afraid of Professor Snape's temper," she chided.
"Hermione, he just made a seventh-year cry," Ron pointed out. "It's not fear. It's a strong sense of self-preservation. You know he hates us more than he hates most of the students."
"He doesn't," Hermione insisted. "He probably doesn't even spare us a thought. You're imagining yourself entirely too special, Ronald."
"Hermione, he goes out of his way to make my life miserable," Harry reminded her.
"You can't skip two lessons in one day," she insisted.
"I'm not going," Harry told her. "I don't have a death wish, and I don't know what flew up his arse, but it's obviously toxic. I'm not going near the greasy git."
Hermione winced.
"Maybe we'll go, if you figure out a way to siphon some of your cheerfulness into him," Ron said blithely. "You're practically bouncing you're in such a good mood."
"Yeah, why are you so cheerful, Hermione?" Harry wanted to know.
"We have a test today," Hermione said brightly, grinning. She knew she was entirely too perky today, but she couldn't help it. She'd never slept so well, and one of her fantasies had become a glorious reality last night. She didn't think anything would dampen her spirits today. Not even Snape's positively wretched mood.
Apparently, he wasn't as thrilled over their interactions the previous evening as her. Hermione didn't let the thought bother her. She'd never deluded herself to think he might like her as a person. She'd never imagined she'd get to shag him, either. But that wasn't the point. She refused to let his being a foul-tempered git infect her happiness.
"You're twisted, you know that?" Ron laughed. "Excited about a test? Really?"
"As opposed to being excited for Quidditch practice?" Hermione scoffed in return.
"Quidditch is exciting," Harry assured her. "What've we got a test for, anyway?"
"Defence," Hermione grinned. "So, if you skip the class, you'll be in big trouble."
Harry and Ron both groaned before following her into Charms.
~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~
The wretched girl was positively brimming with cheerfulness, Severus noted with disgust as she bounced into Potions with her bag over her shoulder. Everyone in the room had obviously witnessed his foul mood at breakfast, and they all fell silent on their approach to the door into his classroom. Sombre and wary expressions were worn by all, except Miss Granger.
Severus opened his mouth, intent on berating her for being too perky, before he realised something. Using Legilimency, he was already eavesdropping on her thoughts and had she been thinking simpering, stupid thoughts or fondly recalling last night he'd planned on giving her detention on the spot or even throwing her out of class. Only, she wasn't thinking about last night at all. She wasn't thinking about him, or what he'd done to her at this very desk.
She was reciting information about her Charms lesson and making mental notes on the homework she'd been given and the sources she would need to complete them. Severus narrowed his eyes on her hatefully. He didn't know if he should be relieved or insulted that she hadn't spared him, or the scene of their crime, a single thought.
Was she such a trollop that she thought nothing of being fucked senseless? Did she so often seduce wizards that she barely registered their efforts? She'd been responsive enough during their encounter, and she'd admitted experience, but he'd been able to tell from her wariness and her nervousness that she hadn't been with many wizards, no matter his unkind musings.
Perhaps she'd noted his foul mood, known he would be using Legilimency, and was purposely thinking about anything other than what they'd done. No, that was likely giving her too much credit.
He waited impatiently for the rest of the students to arrive, watching with narrowed eyes as Weasley and Potter skulked behind Granger and over to one of the desks in the back of the room as though that might keep them from drawing his ire. Severus almost sneered, thinking about splitting them up just to annoy them. He wouldn't mind stripping Gryffindor of another hundred points and he already had enough little bastards lined up for detention tonight that two more wouldn't hurt.
But he bit back the urge, knowing it would be unwise to draw unnecessary attention to them or to Miss Granger, who was foolishly displaying that unlike everyone else, she wasn't afraid of catching his temper this morning.
And she wasn't. She hadn't spared it a thought. He watched out the corner of his eye as she set down her book bag and folded her hands neatly on the table, awaiting instruction to see if this would be a theory or a practical lesson. Smart girl. He watched some of the others hopefully pull out their books, none of them liking the idea of drawing his ire with pathetic brewing attempts. A cruel smile curled his lips and toward the front of the room the Abbott girl whimpered in terror.
"Today you'll all be brewing Felix Felicius," he informed them. "The instructions are on the board."
He flicked his wand, listening to groans and gasps of horror to have been given the most finnicky and complicated potion on their brewing list for the year.
"Retrieve what you require from the store room. Begin immediately. All of you are impossibly stupid and should not have been accepted into the NEWT level class. As such, I expect more than one of you will suffer the amputation of an appendage today thanks to your ineptitude."
Mutters and loathing filled the room, but no one dared contradict him. Not even Miss Granger, though she levelled him a defiant look at the assertion that there wasn't a single NEWT student who deserved the right to continue the study of Potions beyond the OWL.
"Be warned that you will be given two chances to get it right. The second attempt – after you inevitably destroy the first attempt – will be tested on each of you. You will ingest whatever you have created before the end of the lesson, so unless you all wish to spend your lunch break spilling your pumpkin juice and choking on every bite, ensure that you get the potion correct, or endure the bad luck that will follow."
Suitably terrified, the students all scrambled for the cupboard, intent on ensuring they got the best ingredients and equipment to better their chances. He watched with some amusement when Potter and Malfoy wrestled for a jar of shrivel-figs, and laughed cruelly when Parkinson snatched everything from Abbott, making the girl cry with a swift kick to the shins.
Several minutes later, Severus narrowed his eyes when an argument broke out in the storeroom. Before he could stalk across the room to investigate, Miss Granger stomped out.
"Honestly, you're all a bunch of bloody cowards," she chastised over her shoulder, berating her fellow Gryffindors and a few Hufflepuffs.
Severus glared hatefully as she stomped right up to him.
"Professor Snape, the store of Silver Wings has been completely depleted," she informed him briskly, holding his gaze and raising her chin, completely focused on her request, rather than any memory of riding his cock. "Are there more in the other storerooms?"
She didn't even flinch when he curled his lip and the rest of the class held their breath, waiting for him to explode at her.
"Check the back-storage room," he sneered coolly.
She nodded sharply once, stepping around him and crossing the floor. Severus watched her, waiting for her to encounter the hexes and locking charms he put on the back-storage cupboard to ensure no thieving little brats raided it. He narrowed his eyes when she pulled her wand from her pocket and gave it a familiar-looking little twist and jab – Severus's usual disabling and unlocking charm. Without a moment's hesitation she twisted the doorknob and pushed open the door.
He hated himself for recalling the feel of her hot little hand gripping his cock just like that. Before he could think of some sneering way to punish her for knowing how to access his stores, she disappeared, only to remerge a moment later, slamming the door behind her and dashing across the room.
"Peeves is in there," she informed him, stopping directly in front of him and, dare he say, looking slightly frightened.
A loud raspberry, followed by the sound of breaking glass and toppling shelves rent the air and the class went dead silent.
"PEEVES!" Severus snarled, pushing past Miss Granger and crossing to the door. He flung it open so hard the wood splintered and the poltergeist inside paused in his destruction to stare at him wide-eyed.
"Professor Snape!" he exclaimed, his eyes going wide with terror. Severus realised the ghostly menace had assumed Horace was teaching the class today.
Before he could zoom away, Severus cursed him. Twisting him wand like a corkscrew, he picked up the nearest empty specimen jar and sucked the poltergeist into it like he were a genie. Peeves screamed as he was cramped into the tiny confined space, the curse Severus had used managing to lock him in and preventing his escape.
"Oh, wow," Miss Granger's voice came from immediately behind him, apparently having followed him to the storeroom to investigate the screaming poltergeist.
Severus closed his eyes against the memory of her breathy little "ohs" from last night, twisting the lid on to the jar and trapping the poltergeist inside.
"I've never seen anyone trap a non-corporeal being like that, sir," Granger was saying while Severus narrowed his eyes on the damage the poltergeist had done to the storeroom. He flicked his wand again, repairing the broken jars and righting the shelves. Nothing could be done to salvage the destroyed and contaminated potion ingredients.
"Miss Granger?" Severus said, finally speaking and very much aware that the entire class was listening, awaiting his reaction to such destruction.
"Yes, sir?" Granger asked, obviously unaware that she was about to land in extremely hot water.
"Tell me," he said, his voice lowering to a silken purr. "How do you imagine Peeves managed to penetrate my heavily warded storeroom?"
He turned toward her slowly, listening to the muffled screaming of the poltergeist trapped inside the jar. When he narrowed cold eyes on Miss Granger, knowing exactly who was responsible for having incorrectly warded the room against invasion by non-corporeals, she gulped. Ah, so she had been raiding his storeroom last night when she'd been in here brewing.
"Erm," she managed inarticulately.
"Detention, Miss Granger," he snarled at her. "For the wilful sabotage of school wards, and the theft of ingredients."
"You don't know it was her!" Potter's voice protested from the back and Severus watched Granger close her eyes in horror.
"Mr Potter, you will serve a month's detention and miss Quidditch practice for that entire time for your insolence."
"But…" Potter began hotly before Granger's wand arm twitched, using a Silencing charm on the boy.
"I'm sorry, sir," she whispered, lowering her gaze deferentially.
"Snivelling apologies will not replace hundreds of Galleons worth of rare and expensive Potions ingredients, Miss Granger. You will also be serving a month's detention, in addition to costing Gryffindor fifty house points."
She didn't argue, though he almost hoped she would.
"Yes, sir," she murmured.
"How does he know it was her?" Parkinson whispered to Malfoy, apparently confused.
"Collect the Silver Wings from the storeroom and commence brewing, Miss Granger," Severus instructed coldly.
She nodded, stepping around him and entering the storeroom once more – a muttered Vanishing charm cleaning the mess on the floor. He heard her sigh very softly.
"Professor Snape?" she asked quietly, and Severus waited, his back to her, his eyes dancing over the rest of the class and assessing their reactions while the poltergeist in the jar continued to scream. "The Silver Wings in storage here were destroyed, sir."
Severus curled his lip.
"I trust you know the way to the cupboards down the hall?" he asked without looking at her. "Be warned, if they are similarly destroyed because of your carelessness, Miss Granger, you will spend the entire year in detention."
"Yes, sir," she murmured again, walking quickly as she crossed from the storage room behind his desk and made for the door, intent on fetching what was needed.
"Bring Acromantula Venom back with you, Miss Granger," Severus said before she could slip out the classroom door. "I'm certain at least one of you will need it before the class ends. Back to work!"
She nodded, refusing to look at him. The rest of the class jumped to attention, returning their focus to the potion at hand. Severus smirked, watching Potter continue trying to argue with him over Granger's guilt, his mouth moving while no words escaped thanks to the Silencing charm. In no mood to listen to the furious twat arguing with him further, Severus refrained from lifting the charm as he set the jar filled with Peeves on the corner of his desk, ignoring the continued screams interspersed with tapping upon the glass as the poltergeist tried to draw his attention to let him out. Severus smirked cruelly, watching and waiting for Miss Granger to return while many of the students began the difficult task of brewing Felix Felicius. None of them seemed to comprehend how much luck was already on their side that they were managing to avoid drawing his ire.