January 1999

"What happens now?" asked Ginny when they arrived home after the wedding party.

"First, my dearest spouse, I will ask you to get rid of your pet." Severus grabbed Arnold, who was on his favourite place - Ginny's shoulder. "I have no intention of sleeping with him."

Ginny smiled. "I'll take him to the attic. It was a hectic day, and he's stressed. I bet he'll fall asleep as soon as I put him to bed."

Ginny struggled to climb the stairs: the long wedding gown in all-over lace and light luxury satin was a dream, but hindered her movements. She was stressed too. Weddings could be romantic, but were about as placid as a roller coaster ride, she thought.

Severus had tidied the attic. He had got rid of all the old furniture and boxes of trinkets. Now there were just a few cushions on a carpeted floor. One of the cushions would be Arnold's bed.

"Arnold, be a good boy and sleep. Severus and I want to be alone tonight."

The pygmy puff purred, but sounded a little discouraged. Poor Arnold. He was used to being with her all the time. Now he would have to share her with Severus. Maybe they should find him a mate. But Severus would never let him breed. Ginny shuddered just thinking of Severus's face if he saw himself surrounded by a litter of pygmy puffs.

Besides, Ginny still didn't know if mating was as good as some people said it was. She had heard many women complaining, especially about their first time. Hermione had sent her a box of books - including a very graphic, interactive book - and Luna had sent her a book on the Pheasty Humperdincks' and the Lampooreans' sexuality. Ginny had eagerly browsed the books and toyed with the interactive photos, but she knew that "the real thing" would be different from everything she had imagined. She was willing to be patient and not to expect too much from her first time, but she feared Severus's reaction if something went wrong.

Arnold's soft snore woke her from her musings. Ginny knew if she didn't go downstairs soon Severus would be impatient, so she stood up and left the attic. Descending the stairs was even harder, with that gown! When she arrived on the first floor, she found Severus in the bedroom, at the foot of their new double bed, smoothing the elegant white linen sheets that Bill and Fleur had given them. It was a stupid thing to do, thought Ginny, since in a few minutes they would be messing up everything...

"Stop where you are," hissed Severus, seeing her at the door. "Get out. You are not allowed in the bridal chamber yet."

"Well, will I have to wait much longer?" Ginny snapped, trying to disguise her uneasiness.

Severus's gaze, penetrating as ever, looked hungry now, and she couldn't take her eyes off him. He came towards her, pushed her lightly into the corridor and pressed her against the wall. Ginny put her arms around his waist and felt her heartbeat quicken. As if in slow motion, Severus leaned towards her and covered her mouth with his. His arms wrapped around her and held her securely against him. Then one of his arms slid down under her knees, as the other arm held her upper back, and he lifted her up.

Severus carried her to the bed and carefully placed her on it. He removed her pearl tiara and loosened her long hair before he laid her head on the pillow. He lay down beside her and gazed at her, his elbow on his pillow and his face resting on his hand. He was very elegant and sexy in his black dress robe. There was hesitancy and concern on his face, and his usually firm hands were trembling slightly.

"Are you afraid?" he asked.

"A little," she answered. "What about you?"

"I don't want you to do anything just because you think you have to. I want you to tell me what you are feeling. If you are frightened, tell me. If you want me to stop, tell me.

"I call the shots," she said, half joking. But a quiver in her voice betrayed her anxiety.

He reached out and pulled her towards him, pressing their bodies together. "Exactly."

Ginny wrapped her arms around him. For a long moment, they just nestled together, holding tightly, and she felt some of the tension go out of her. "I think we should... take off our shoes."

He made a surprised face, and Ginny realised he had forgotten all about the shoes. For a man as methodical as Severus, that inattention was unusual and revealing. He was probably as anxious as she was. Sitting at the edge of the bed, he took off her shoes with a tenderness she didn't think him capable of - even if he had been treating her more tenderly than she had ever seen him treating anyone. Severus held one of her bare feet and began to massage it, making her purr with delight. He nibbled at the tender flesh of the arch, then licked and sucked her toes. She wriggled, and wondered why she had never thought that that part of her body could be sensual.

Once every one of her toes had been attended to, Severus pulled off his shoes and lay down beside her again. Ginny pressed up to him and couldn't resist squirming, just a little, to get the feel of him against her. Because her gown was sleeveless and low in the back, when he started to stroke her arms and shoulders in slow, leisurely circles, the feeling of bare flesh to bare flesh sent a delicious jolt of pleasure through her.

He leaned and planted soft kisses on her forehead, eyebrows and eyelids. When he kissed the corner of her mouth, she dug her fingers into his hair to keep where she wanted him. She hesitated a moment before sliding her tongue between his lips - just licking, tasting him softly. He gasped against her mouth. She dared a little farther, pushing into his mouth. His tongue explored and pressed and flicked teasingly around hers.

Ginny ran her hands over the hard muscles of Severus's chest and up along his shoulders, then brought her arms back around him and held on. He softened the kiss until his lips were just a breath of air over her mouth, and clasped her against him. She wriggled to get as close to him as she could. When his lips found her earlobe, she closed her eyes in pleasure. He flicked his tongue over the sensitive skin, licked the outer ridge of her ear, darted his tongue in and out, and blew softly in, sending tremors all through her body and making her toes curl. She felt him chuckle against her ear.

"You like that?" he asked hoarsely.

"Oh, yes, I do."

Severus nuzzled at her throat, his lips working their way down to her collarbone, and his hands ran down her rib cage. She arched up under his touch.

"Perhaps we should get rid of... this," murmured Severus, tugging at the straps of her wedding gown.

For a moment, Ginny felt torn between desire and embarrassment. His hands flickered softly over her breasts and brushed across her nipples, which hardened at once. When she pushed up under his touch, his hands darted away, and she moaned in lust and frustration. "All right," she managed to say, "but if you want to help me with the buttons, I think I'll have to turn my back to you."

He helped her to turn around. The buttons ran down the full length of the skirt. He scraped his teeth over her shoulders and nibbled at her throat as his fingers fumbled with the top button and slipped it loose. The remaining buttons soon followed the first one.

"You seem to be an expert in opening bridal gowns," she joked.

"I am an expert in buttons, indeed, but I have no experience with bridals," he answered in his snappish tone.

He slipped her dress off with a feather-light touch, leaving her just in her bra and pants. When he turned her towards him, his eyes were smoky with desire. "You are so beautiful."

He enveloped her in his embrace. She wrapped her arms around him and nestled close, feeling safe and warm in his arms. Gentle hands slid down her shoulders and stroked her back, tracing mindless patterns on her skin. Tantalising fingers circled her breasts, outlining them, teasing her.

She was melting under his touch. "Please..."

He flashed a sadistic smile and brushed the silky fabric around her breasts until she was desperate for his fingers. For a moment, he gave her what she wanted, his fingertips tracing circles around her nipples, teasing them into aching points, but then, before she had really had enough, his hands ran down over her ribs and stomach.

His thumb toyed with the waistband of her pants. He slid his fingers over the soft silk, skirting the space between her thighs, and she moaned.

"Ack, you're such a teaser," she grumbled.

He smirked and leaned over her, touching her lips with his own while his hand cupped and fondled her breast. Her tongue was greedy and desperate for the taste of him, and he obliged her, locking his mouth to hers.

The long, lush kiss ended when he moved his lips lower, hot wet stroking over her skin until they found the silk covering her breast, and she couldn't hold back a cry. He let out a soft whimper and mouthed her nipple through the cloth.

She tangled her fingers in his hair, clutching him convulsively. "More, please...."

"Yes..." His hands reached back around to open the clasp of her bra. He slipped the straps off her shoulders and slid the fabric off her body in a slow, sensuous movement. He leaned to her again, and his mouth was warm and wet on her skin, lips closing around that tiny point and sucking.

Severus moved to the other breast, tracing warm wet circles around it before coming to rest on her nipple. This time he bit down, very gently, while he flicked his tongue over her tender flesh, and she jerked up, helplessly, with the pleasure of it.

He moved his hands down the length of her back over her sides, then to her stomach, and then lower... His finger drew a bold pattern over the damp fabric, teasing in a slow spiral around the place she wanted him to touch the most. Ginny couldn't swallow the moans and whines that his caresses evoked.

His mouth came off her breast and slid downward. He brushed the waistband of her pants, then traced a wet line with his tongue down to the moist silk...

Ginny cried out at the feel of his mouth moving over the silk. She lifted her head to look at him. The sight of him, so absorbed and focused on what he was doing, was so arousing, and the soft flicks of his tongue and fingers wrinkling the silk of her pants were bringing her close to the edge. "So good, Severus... Please..."

"Anything to please you, my dear."

She would have said something in return if he wasn't hooking his thumbs in the waistband of her pants and drawing them down and off. She watched in expectancy as he knelt between her thighs and gazed at her body as if she were the most beautiful woman in the world, before bending to press his mouth to her.

His lips moved over her aching flesh, just a soft kiss at first, then the slight motion of his tongue, wet and skilful, flicking at the most sensitive place of all. Ginny bit her lip not to scream. As if that sweet torture wasn't enough, Severus's finger gently probed her entrance. She pushed against the pressure, wanting to feel more of it. As he slipped his finger inside, just a bit, she found herself rocking against the touch, setting a rhythm that matched the pace of his mouth, her muscles tightening around his finger to keep him inside her.

He increased his pace, flicking his tongue faster and faster. She held his head and moved up against him, feeling the heat building inside her and pleasure coiling in that one area between her legs...

"Oh, Severus..."

And then the world splintered into a thousand starry fragments as pleasure ripped through her, and she arched into his touch, wanting to have more of him. He made it last, with long firm strokes of hand and tongue, keeping the rhythm for her until she collapsed back onto the bed.

He came to rest next to her, gazing at her with a look of wonder.

And suddenly she realised he was still completely dressed. "This is not fair. I want to see you, to touch you..."

He shuddered noticeably, but didn't stop her when her fingers found the buttons of his robe.

"Do you remember when you were cursed by Sectumsempra, on your birthday? I had to open the upper part of your robe to heal your injuries. After I healed you, your eyes were closed, and I kept staring at your body, longing to touch you."

He smiled and looked more relaxed. "You have strange tastes, my wife."

She undid the long string of buttons, one by one, and pushed the fabric aside to reveal his lean chest with a slight dusting of black hair and his black silk boxers, clearly tented. He looked oddly vulnerable, and she tried to concentrate on sliding the robe off his shoulders, which she did with trembling hands.

He must have noticed her hesitancy, for he searched for her eyes and said, "Don't forget you don't have to do anything you don't feel comfortable doing."

"You told me I'd call the shots, and I want to do this."

"Such a Gryffindor..."

She reached out, wanting to feel him; he let himself be drawn up against her. She brushed her lips against his chest and marvelled at the way he shivered. She wanted to have him at her mercy, like she had been at his. She nuzzled softly at his neck, moving up to his earlobe and running her tongue over the sensitive skin. His gasp was followed by a soft sigh, and he let her do as she wanted.

She let her lips trail kisses down the side of his neck and onto his collarbone, nibbling on the tendons, scraping her teeth over the skin. She ran her lips down along his biceps. He made a purring sound, and she knew he was liking what she was doing. She felt proud. After all, she had Severus Snape under her hands, giving up control to her, and that wasn't a small feat.

She began to explore him with her hands, trailing her fingers up his arms to his shoulders, and pulled his mouth to hers. Their mouths locked, and she moved against him, enjoying the rub of flesh on flesh. She wriggled a hand between their bodies to play with his nipples, rolling the hard nubs between her thumb and her forefinger and gently pinching them.

She eased her mouth off his and brought her head down, her tongue tracing spirals around one of his nipples. He moaned at the touch of her mouth, reached up and twined his fingers in her hair. She darted her tongue out to curl around the nub lazily before sucking it hard. She gave the other nipple the same attentions before moving her mouth down his stomach and exploring his navel with the tip of her tongue.

Moving down further, she rubbed her cheek against the hardness, feeling the intense heat through the thin fabric.

He groaned at that, and his cock twitched. His breath was coming out in uneven heaves. "If you don't stop now... oh, God..."

She couldn't help smiling at his response. "I want to do this, don't worry. It's all right."

She pulled his boxers down by the waistband. He arched his hips to help her, and she removed the last piece of cloth that still covered his body.

His cock was big, swollen and hard, and Ginny couldn't take her eyes from it. She felt a little insecure, but she was determined to give him pleasure. She curled her fingers around it and revelled in its smoothness. It was soft and velvety and hot and pulsed under her touch. He groaned loudly.

Mischievously, she bent and nuzzled her lips to the patch of curls between his legs. He jerked up as she moved her mouth closer to his erection.

"Ginevra..." His voice was urgent. "You don't have to do this."

She lifted her head a little. "I know. I want to."

Ginny bent again and ran her lips down the length of him. She licked her way up to the tip and pressed a little kiss there, which made him gasp. She circled her tongue over his erection. He tasted good, and the scent of musk was very arousing. Her right hand was curled around the base of his cock. As she slid her lips up and down, just on the tip, her left hand cupped his balls and massaged them firmly. He let out a deep desperate sound, his hands clutching the sheet tightly. She closed her lips around him and sucked as hard and as deep as she could. His fingers twined in her hair and he sought to move her away. His panting became a helpless plea.

"Ginevra... I can't... If you don't..."

But she didn't take her mouth away, and he cried out her name in a hoarse voice. She could feel Severus's cock throbbing, and squeezed his balls a little harder. His entire body went rigid as his essence spilled down her throat.

She liked his taste, and swallowed as much as she could.

His hands tangled gently in her hair as his breathing slowly came back to normal. "You are amazing." He reached for her hand, and she held his. "However, I'm afraid we won't be able to consummate our marriage tonight."

"Oh, well... I'm sure we'll have other opportunities." She crawled up and snuggled in his arms.

For a long time, they lay together, warm and sated. Then he pulled her up for a kiss, and they began to languidly wind around one another. His deft fingers drew a path over her shoulders, traced down her back and sides, and finally curved around her buttocks. She pressed her palms against his back, feeling the muscles under her fingers.

They moved together, skin on skin, savouring the feel of their flesh pressed against each other. She threw a leg over his hip. The contact was deliciously intimate, and they kept playing like that, completely attuned to each other, rubbing against each other, until she felt his hardness against her thighs. She thrust her hips against his, intensifying the contact, and felt that warm tingling heat between her legs again.

"On second thoughts," he murmured breathlessly, "maybe we can do it tonight. I mean, if you are willing to."

"Oh, yes, I want it... I want you in me."

He reached out to open the bedside drawer and produced a phial. "This balm will prevent you from bleeding or feeling pain. Unfortunately, you may also not feel as much pleasure as you could, because, as weird as it may seem, pain and pleasure are part of a continuum."

"There isn't a clear line between pain and pleasure, is that so?"

"Yes."

"All right. If you think this balm is a good idea..."

"I do. Just in your first times," he said resolutely.

She relaxed, for the idea that she would have to go through pain had been worrying her.

Then she couldn't think about anything else, because he was moving down over her body, his skilful hands stroking over her hips and thighs, teasing between her legs... He coated his finger in the balm and traced it around her entrance. He caressed her clit as he pressed his finger inside, just a little bit. She shuddered in the sheer pleasure of penetration. He moved his finger slowly, in and out.

Ginny was rocking against his finger when he removed it. She felt suddenly empty, but saw him slathering his cock with the balm and patiently waited. She was rewarded when she felt his erection rubbing at the entrance to her body. He probed slightly and eased inside.

There wasn't any pain. It was amazing, and she wanted more. He was panting and trembling, but didn't move.

"It's good," she said. "I want more."

And he gave her a little more, easing deeper while his thumb rubbed her clit. He pulled out and thrust in deeper, again and again. She moved with him, bringing her knees up higher and changing the angle of their joining, and felt him filling her, stroking her from the inside.

For a moment, he stopped, and they twined together, Severus rubbing her very gently to keep her at the edge.

"You feel so good," he murmured, nibbling at her neck.

Severus thrust in again. Ginny wrapped her legs around his waist, opening herself up to him further. The power of his thrusts increased in strength and speed, and she clutched him to her. Her hips began to arch upwards, meeting his strokes with urgency.

He took her hands, twining her fingers in his, and angled his body in a way that increased her pleasure even more. Finally, as the world dissolved in a shower of bright sparks around her, she felt his hot seed flooding into her.

It was a while before she came back to herself, lying underneath him, feeling warm and... a bit uncomfortable under his weight. He finally knelt up, cast a cleaning spell on her, then on himself. He lay down beside her and pulled the covers over both of them.

His piercing eyes met hers, and she realised he was trying to enter her mind. She was used to it. In the beginning, she found it annoying, because she valued her privacy. But if she wanted to stop him, she just had to close or avert her eyes, and surprisingly she had gradually realised that not being able to lie to her partner made her feel freer, safer and protected.

"I am led to believe, my beloved spouse, that my performance met your expectations," he said.

"Let's say that I won't request for a marriage annulment," she said. "Except, perhaps, if you snore louder than a wounded troll."

Severus looked offended. "I do not snore. And if you do, I will cast Silencio on you."

"No, you won't."

"Yes, I will."

She couldn't help laughing as she said, "You're a big bully, and I'm telling mum on you."

"You do know how to scare me," he said.

"I presume I passed the test, then."

"Yes. With Exceeding Expectations," he answered.

She pouted. "What? I thought I deserved an Outstanding!"

"It's never a good policy to give the highest mark to a pupil in the first test. The pupil might rest on her laurels and not push to maintain her high standards."

She was going to say that he was a git, but when he gazed at her with a sleepy, sated look and wrapped a possessive arm around her waist, she just smiled to herself and nestled against his chest, ready to drift to sleep.