sylvanawood (sylvanawood) wrote in storiesfromwood, @ 2008-03-27 18:52:00 |
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Entry tags: | climate change |
Climate Change - Chapter 2
Chapter 2
On a quiet evening in late January, Severus Snape tiredly entered his private quarters after a long and exhausting staff meeting. He wanted nothing more than a hot and relaxing bath, followed by a glass of Firewhisky, a book and bed. He toed his shoes off, threw his teaching robes over a chair and walked to the bathroom while unbuttoning his shirt.
When he opened the door, the sight that met his eyes made him freeze on the spot, gape, and then purr silkily, "Stay right where you are, I'll be right back." He turned on his heels and left the bathroom, strode to the door and walked out into the corridor looking up and down and quickly walking back towards the staffroom. At the top of the stairs, he almost ran into Hermione, who had discovered a pair of sixth-years snogging behind the statue of Ludger the Level-Headed.
"Professor Granger," he hailed. "I need your help. Can you come with me?"
"Of course. What is it?" Hermione gave the students a last stern look and then turned towards Snape, following him down the stairs. "Is someone hurt?"
"Not yet," he grumbled. "I need you as a witness, if you don't mind."
Hermione's eyes widened, but she didn't say anything and just followed him into his private quarters. She would have liked to have a look around, but he led her straight to the bathroom and opened the door.
"Now, Miss Thomas, Miss Zabini, perhaps you can explain to Professor Granger and me just exactly what you are doing in my bathtub?"
Hermione gaped. Two seventh-year girls were sitting in the bathtub, covered in foam and nothing else.
"We, ah, thought you looked a bit tense, Professor, and wanted to offer you a massage," one of the girls said boldly, while the other one blushed crimson.
"Silence," Snape roared. "You can thank your lucky stars on bended knees that you're of age and that I found Professor Granger quickly enough to be my witness, else I'd have you expelled. That'll be one hundred points from each of your houses and detention with Goyle. If I wanted to see naked people, I’d go to a nudist beach. Now get out. OUT!" His face was red and spittle was flying everywhere.
"They need their clothes, Professor Snape," Hermione said, suppressing a smile. That rant had sounded so familiar.
"They can walk back to their dormitories as they are for all I care. If they want everyone to see them stark naked, let them."
The girls blushed and stared at Hermione pleadingly. Hermione tutted and shoved Snape gently out of the bathroom, grabbed some towels and urged the girls to get dressed.
"What got into you? Are you mad?" she asked them when she’d walked them to their dormitories. "That was extremely foolish. If someone had walked in on you before Professor Snape found me, it could have cost you your education and Professor Snape his job."
"I don't think so," Hortense Zabini said. "Dares like that are common, aren't they? I've heard of at least four former students who did something like that with one professor or the other."
"That's no reason to do it, too. And now go to bed." Hermione shook her head when she was finally able to walk back to her own quarters.
Tiredly, she opened the door to her own bathroom and gaped, her eyes almost popping out of her head. Just like Snape's, her bathroom was occupied, too. But instead of two girls, two young male seventh-years were sitting in her tub. Unlike the girls, however, these two had obviously become bored and fallen asleep. One of them was snoring softly; the other one was drooling onto her floor tiles.
Hermione backed out quietly, wiping tears from her eyes, her body shaking. Outside, she took a deep breath but couldn't suppress her giggles any longer. She wanted to laugh loudly, but that would have woken the boys. Instead, she chuckled under her breath, went to the fireplace and took a pinch of Floo powder.
"Severus, do you have a moment?"
There was a soft curse, something was set on a hard surface with a clank, and a frowning Severus Snape was looking at her through the fire. "What is it?"
"Would you mind coming through? I need your help." Hermione was laughing again. He scowled some more, but stepped through. "You won't believe this," she choked out, shaking and wiping tears of mirth away.
"Are you quite well?" he asked, glancing at her suspiciously.
"Oh, absolutely." She opened the door to the bathroom, and Snape stepped in. Both of his eyebrows shot up, and his eyes widened as he stared.
"STEBBINS, FAWCETT!" he roared. The boys woke up with a start and jumped but quickly ducked back under the foam when they realised where they were.
"Oh, don't be so hard on them, Professor Snape," Hermione purred, still grinning. "I'm sure the two gentlemen had some relaxing activity planned for me, hadn't you, boys?" She walked over to them and stroked both their chins, licking her lips. The boys looked at her, horrified. Snape watched the display with glittering eyes.
"Now, what is it to be? Would you like to give me a backrub, or should I just admire the view? Perhaps you wanted to wash my hair?"
"Uhm, we…"
"THIS IS A PRANK," Hermione suddenly roared, which caused the boys to emit a frightened squeak. "This will cost you one hundred points from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff apiece. And detention with Shunpike for the next four weeks. I should have you expelled, but since we will have the pleasure of seeing the back of you this summer, anyway, I'll refrain… barely… And now get OUT OF MY SIGHT."
"Er, our clothes…"
"I DON'T CARE! Go naked, for all I care."
"Tut, tut, Professor Granger, you can't do this," Snape murmured, barely able to suppress his own laughter now and shoved her gently out of the bathroom. "Get dressed," he hissed at the boys. "And if one of you so much as puts a toe out of line before the end of the year, you will be expelled. The same goes for your female companions. Now get out."
The boys scrambled through Hermione's living room to the entrance of her private quarters and ran out. Hermione made a stern face while they passed her and uttered an, "I'm so very disappointed in you."
Once they were gone, she looked at Snape, and they both burst out laughing.
"Would you care to join me for a glass of wine, Severus?" Hermione asked, still chuckling.
He agreed and sat down in front of the fire while Hermione fetched the wine. She sat in the armchair opposite him, secretly enjoying the view since he had forgotten to button up his shirt again and was now sitting there with a part of his chest exposed. Hermione quite liked what she saw and felt a warmth spreading through her when she fantasized briefly what she would like to do with that exposed skin.
Snape had poured the wine while she had been watching him, and after toasting each other and drinking, he asked, "What was that all about? You did notice that each of the culprits was from a different house? And since all of them had the same amount of points deducted, no one has really lost anything."
"I did notice indeed," Hermione chuckled. "Won't Minerva just love this? We have our first perfect example of an inter-house prank. They all planned it together; they found seventh-years willing to risk detentions, and they carried it out. I wonder why?"
"Hm," he mumbled. "If I hadn't found you, the whole affair would have likely taken hours – because I would have had to Floo the Headmistress, and it would have become complicated. Likewise, for you."
"And since we’re the ones who usually patrol the corridors and find students snogging in their hiding places after hours, they'd have had us off their backs and been able to enjoy a quiet evening with their boy – and girlfriends. Except, of course, for those four unlucky heroes who had to, ah, divert us."
"Indeed," Snape murmured. "I have a good mind to go and patrol a bit…"
"Oh, let them be for once. Have another glass of wine," Hermione pleaded. "It's late, and we should call it a day."
Snape smirked and raised his glass towards her. Smiling, she filled it up for him.