Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Harry Potter, characters or otherwise.
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On A Winter's Day
Severus fastened his cloak and looked out the window beside the front door. White mounds of snow stretched out across the yard. The sky was heavy and gray; it looked as though it would snow any moment now. He pursed his lips together in distaste and reached for his dragon-hide gloves. With his hands protected, Severus wound his black scarf around his neck several times.
Severus loathed winter; from the cold biting air, the icy floors, the damp cloaks, to the piles of wet snow that made getting around impossible. He especially loathed having to dress in several layers for something as simple as a walk outside; which was, ironically, his current task. He silently berated himself for not telling Miriam no when she suggested the excursion at breakfast this morning.
They went home for the weekend; a practice they engaged in as much as their Hogwarts duties allowed. Millie had put together a wonderful breakfast, and the pair ate in the warm kitchen near the fire. Severus glanced at Miriam and smiled over his cup of coffee. Her hair was loosely braided down her back, and she still had on her tartan dressing gown and pajamas. She was apparently lost in thought, her gaze focused on the snow outside.
"Severus?" Miriam asked as she turned to look at him.
"Hmmm?" Severus replied as he took a bite of poached egg and toast.
"Would you go with me on a walk later today?"
Severus frowned and looked out the window. "You want to go for a walk?" When Miriam nodded, he continued. "In this weather?" he asked incredulously.
"Please?" she asked. Her hand covered his, their fingers entwined. She looked into his eyes, her own hopeful and questioning at the same time.
That was his problem right there, Severus realized as he tied a knot in his scarf. After all these years, he was incapable of telling his witch no. He flinched slightly when he thought of the ridicule he would endure if the students knew what a pushover he was when it came to his wife. For all the authority he wielded in the classroom, it all seemed to evaporate when she asked a reasonable request of him.
"Are you ready?" Miriam asked as she came out of the kitchen. She dressed warm as well in her thick black traveling cloak, dragon-hide gloves and scarf. Severus noticed her black leather bag slung over her shoulder.
"Yes," Severus said. Miriam smirked. His tone was as gloomy as the sky outside. Severus reached over and took the bag from Miriam. "What's in here?"
"A surprise for later," Miriam said with a smile. "Let's go!"
The couple walked arm in arm across the grounds. The quiet, still air awed Severus. It truly looked as though the earth was sleeping under a huge white blanket. Miriam cleared a walking path through the snow with her wand. She led him down the sloping hill around the back of the house, towards the pond.
There was a large felled log close to the edge of the water that served as a bench. Miriam cleared the snow away with her wand as she and Severus sat down. Trudging through all that snow taxed her, and Miriam felt grateful to rest. Miriam gazed out across the frozen water, lost in thought. On the other side of the pond stood the long abandoned gristmill. A sad smile came across Miriam's face. She thought about her brother and how they used to play in the old structure as children.
Severus looked over at his wife and grew concerned when he saw her sad face. "Are you all right?" Severus asked gently.
Severus' words pulled Miriam from her reverie. "I'm fine," she said. "Just thinking about the past." She abruptly changed the subject. "Do you still have my bag?"
He nodded and handed the leather satchel over. Severus wondered about its contents; he knew Miriam had extension and lightening charms on the bag, so he had no idea what was inside. He smiled when Miriam pulled out a large thermos and two mugs. "Tea?" she asked.
"Please," Severus answered.
Miriam nodded and poured Severus a generous amount. He took the offered cup and watched as long tendrils of steam climbed up into the cold air, grasping at nothing before they vanished. Severus wrapped his left arm around Mia and the two sat in comfortable silence. He had to admit this was tolerable. The tea warmed him from the inside and having Miriam nestled beside him helped as well.
"Do you realize we probably look like two paper shadow cutouts against all this snow?" Miriam asked suddenly.
Severus glanced down at their black attire and chuckled. "Well, unless you brought extra clothes I'm afraid it will stay that way," he said as drank his tea.
"I did bring something else for us," Miriam replied with a serious look.
Severus inclined his head and gave Miriam a look that said, 'oh really?' She smiled and set the cup beside her and reached into the bag. Severus leaned forward with curiosity until he saw a glimpse of the bag's contents. Abruptly, his countenance changed and he straightened. "No! Absolutely not!"
"Really now! Come on, Severus-"
"No!" Severus exclaimed again. He glowered as Miriam pulled out two pairs of ice skates.
"Severus, I know ice skating isn't your favorite, but would you at least consider coming out on the ice with me?" Miriam asked gently. She placed her small gloved hand on his thigh and gazed into his face imploringly.
Severus' stubbornness faltered as he looked down at Miriam. Damn it, she's doing it again, he thought. Why did she have to look at him like that? Severus sighed heavily. Miriam grinned and leaned in. She pressed her full lips against his cool cheek before she pulled away, a bright smile on her face. Severus cupped his hand against the warm spot and watched Miriam set his skates down in front of him.
Miriam finished lacing up her skates and stepped out on the ice. Severus paused in his own efforts to watch her. She glided slowly across the ice as she got used to the feel of her skates. As she built up confidence, her speed increased and soon she was cruising the perimeter of the pond.
Severus stepped out on the ice, his movements small and tentative. He skated with Miriam a few times before; he knew what he needed to do, he was just lousy at it. As he slowly worked his way to the middle of the pond, he could hear Miriam's skates cutting across the ice. She was still skating around the edge of the pond, her cloak flapping in the wind. Severus heard her coming up behind him, and she passed him skating backwards. Miriam grinned and waved.
"Now you're just showing off!" Severus shouted, his hands on his hips. Miriam's laughter rang across the pond as she changed direction and began skating towards Severus. She came closer and closer until he could almost touch her. She slid, not quite stopping, over corrected and started to fall. Severus caught her in his arms and by some miracle managed to keep them both upright.
Miriam exhaled a shaky breath and looked into Severus' dark eyes. "Guess I need to practice my stops!" she exclaimed. "It's a good thing you were here."
"I'm always here for you," Severus said softly.
Miriam's eyes became serious. "I know. You're my rock, and I love you for that."
"I love you too, little witch. Though there are times I know I've been hard to love."
"Oh, Severus," Miriam sighed as she shook her head. "Neither of us are perfect, but I think we're perfect together."
Miriam wrapped her arms around Severus' neck and brushed her lips against his. It wasn't a heated, passionate kiss that left one's blood burning; rather it was soft and sweet, filled with memories of time past and the promise of things to come. The look in her eyes was for Severus alone, and reflected in those grey depths was a deep love unlike any he had ever know; even after all these years it still took his breath away.
Severus rubbed Miriam's arms. "Did you drag me out here just to tell me you love me? Because you could have easily told me that inside," he teased gently.
Miriam laughed. "No! I dragged you out here to skate. Come on," Miriam said as she took Severus' hands in her own. She began to guide Severus across the ice, pulling him forward as she skated backwards.
"Why do you enjoy skating so much?" Severus asked as they moved across the pond.
"Well, when I was little, Gramie took Ian and me to a show where the performers acted out children's stories on ice. It was all choreographed to music and they dressed in these fancy costumes. After the show, she bought us each our own ice skates," Miriam said. Severus nodded and Miriam continued. "I was infatuated. I just knew it was my destiny to become the next great figure skater. I would wear these beautiful costumes and people would travel far to come watch me skate," Miriam said haughtily as she flourished a hand in the air.
Severus smiled as Miriam chuckled at her memory. "Ian wasn't as interested in skating as I was, but I would come to this very pond and skate and fall over and over. I stayed out here until I couldn't feel my toes or fingers, and Gramie had to send an elf out to usher me back to the house for meals. I enjoyed the freedom I felt out here, speeding across the ice on my skates, the wind whipping through my hair."
"And now?" Severus asked.
Miriam looked down at their feet, then back up at Severus. "Now I come out here to relive those memories, have a small taste of that freedom, act carefree. And spend time with you, if I can get you out here," Miriam teased. "Though I don't think you enjoy it too much."
Severus opened his mouth to answer just as his skates caught on a rough spot of ice. He flailed as he felt his feet slip out from under him. He grabbed blindly and fell into a bank of snow, bringing Miriam down on top of him.
Severus groaned and opened his eyes. Miriam had landed right on top of him; they were lucky to hit the snow and not the ice. Not that the snow didn't hurt, it just hurt a little less, Severus thought. Miriam raised her head and looked down at Severus, slightly embarrassed. "Are you all right?" Severus asked.
"I'm fine. You?" Severus nodded and Miriam said, "So much for getting you out here again after this."
Severus shook his head. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but if you want me to come with you again, I will. On one condition, though," Severus said. "Wait until next winter to ask me. My old arse can't handle falling down like this all the time."
Miriam frowned. "If you're old, what does that make me? Fair enough. No more skating this winter." She sat up carefully and the two worked at extracting themselves from the snow bank. They gingerly worked their way across the pond to the bench and traded their skates for sensible winter boots.
They walked back to the house, hand in hand. Severus stopped as a thought came to him. "You know, since you lured me out here under false pretenses and then tortured me, I think it's only fair that you let me pick our next activity," Severus said silkily.
Miriam raised an eyebrow. "Tortured? That's a little extreme, don't you think?" But at Severus' narrowed gaze, Miriam sighed and nodded in agreement. Severus smirked and quickened his pace as he pulled Miriam along behind him.
Later that afternoon, the snow began to fall. It clung to the panes of the French doors that opened into the Snape's living room, shrouding the house in a heavy blanket of white. Inside, a fire roared in the hearth and cheerful glow filled the room. Severus reclined on the oversized leather couch with Miriam curled up next to him, a large quilt covering them both. Miriam took a sip of her hot chocolate and smiled up at her husband. Severus returned the gesture and brushed Miriam's curls away from her face.
"Isn't this a better winter activity than ice skating?" Severus asked Miriam as he kissed her cheek.
Miriam pursed her lips together to keep from smiling. "Not if you don't keep on," she said as she tapped the book in his hands with her finger.
Severus simply chuckled and turned the page. He turned his attention back to the book. "The young woman was tall, with a figure of perfect elegance, on a large-scale. She had dark and abundant hair, so glossy that it…."
Miriam sighed softly and leaned against Severus as he continued to read. What a wonderful day, Miriam thought. She closed her eyes and smiled. It honestly didn't matter what they did; what mattered was that they did it together.
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A/N: This little piece of fluff came into my head as I was thinking about this awful winter we're in. It is sooooo cold where I live, and it's just not over *sob*! My son has taken skating lessons for over a year and is making the transition to hockey; he obviously did not get his balance and athleticism from me :) Watching him skate helps me appreciate the sport that it is.
This piece also reminds me of the simple aspects of Severus and Miriam's relationship. I know it's light-hearted, and maybe a little sappy, but honestly if all they had was sex, their relationship wouldn't last.
I hope you enjoy this piece. Remember: reviews are like candy, you can never have enough :) Thanks for reading!