A Not So Platonic Love
He walked into the library, a hidden purpose in his step. He knew he would find her here, sitting at her table by the window. He'd seen Lucius with her the day before and it made him furious. He never trusted the jerk and with him now following Adah about like a little puppy, Severus was near ready to crack. He wasn't used to having to share her. Perhaps it was a tad selfish and possessive on his part, but they'd been each other's only companions for years. Severus still could not discern why Malfoy had suddenly taken such an interest in the quiet girl, who ignored all of the blond's advances. His cloak swished against a bookshelf as he rounded upon the spot where he knew his friend would be sitting. He was right. And to his great relief, she was alone. Without saying a word, he simply walked up behind her and began reading over her shoulder. Within minutes she began to squirm and fidget uncomfortably. Finally, she turned her head to look at him, her curls flying out behind her.
"Don't do that!" she growled, playfully swatting at him.
"That was a very dull read. Why do you find it so fascinating?" he inquired, taking a seat across from her.
"I'm bored. What's it to you?" she snapped back.
"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the four poster this morning eh?" he shot right back, pulling out his own reading material, a book on advanced orbs.
"Isn't that the one I lent to you?" she questioned, not seeming too interested.
"So it is. I'm not done. But don't worry, I've put a spell on it to fix all of the dog-eared pages for you," he remarked with a smirk.
"How thoughtful Sev," she answered with a small smile of her own.
"Why is he following you about like a love-sick puppy?" the dark-haired wizard queried suddenly, a hint of anger in his tone.
"Who? Malfoy? Beats me. I try to ignore him," Adah replied twisting a lock of hair about her finger.
"Nervous?" Snape asked, inclining his head towards her finger.
"I guess," she sighed and turned her gaze out towards the lake, its waters dark in the evening light.
"If he makes you uncomfortable, you can tell me and I can take care of it," Sev offered quietly.
"Sev shut up. You know I don't need you to fight my battles. Just like I don't fight yours. I'm fine so just drop it," Adah snapped angrily.
"Fine. If you so desire," he answered grumpily.
He didn't care for it much when they fought. Even though it was a rare occasion, it always left him feeling guilty. He always felt he was the one to start it and he hated feeling as if he had somehow hurt her. That was the las thing he wanted to do.
'I'm sorry,' he thought to himself.
'If only you knew how much I love you Adah. Maybe you'd know how much it eats me up inside to see you running about with Malfoy on your tail,' he continued somberly.
"Sev did you hear anything I just said?" Adah questioned, rolling her eyes.
"No," he answered curtly.
"I asked if you wanted to practice tonight," she reiterated.
"I suppose," he murmured, his dark gaze slightly unfocused.
"What's wrong with you today Sev? It's like you're mind is elsewhere," Adah remarked in a perplexed tone.
"I'm fine. I'm just thinking if that's alright with you," he muttered, again berating himself for speaking so harshly to her.
"Don't you get snappy with me Severus Snape," she growled, rising from her seat.
"Oh please. That tone doesn't become you," he retorted and stood as well.
'It's now or never,' his mind repeated.
"Come with me," he ordered, gathering his things.
"Where are we going?" Adah queried, following suit.
"You'll see," he muttered as he grabbed her arm and led her gently out of the library.
"Sev slow down would you!" Adah protested as her friend nearly dragged her down the corridor at a break neck speed.
"Sev for Merlin's sake you're going to rip my arm out of my socket now let go!" she shouted.
At her raised voice he stopped and released her. He noticed that she was massaging her wrist. He could see that it was red from where he had gripped it so tightly. He took a step towards her and tentatively reached out his hand, placing it on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry. I'm just…never mind," he trailed off as he turned and proceeded down the hall, Adah behind him.
"Will you please tell me why you're dragging me all about the castle?" she pleaded, her voice taking on a somewhat desperate quality.
"We're almost there," he replied, answering her over his shoulder.
The corridor was mostly empty, save the stray sixth or seventh year milling about until curfew. Luckily, no one was in the hall where they were headed. When they finally reached the destination, Severus began to pace in front of a segment of blank wall. Suddenly, out of nowhere a door appeared and he swiftly grasped the gold handle. He pulled it open and let Adah peer inside. The interior was lit with soft candlelight and a small plush couch sat in front of a welcoming fire.
"Sev what is this place," she breathed as she stepped through the doorway.
"Just a place I thought you'd like," he answered following her in and closing the door.
"It's lovely but…" she trailed off as she rounded on him.
"I thought you said you were going to come practice with me tonight," she stated, eying him nervously.
"I lied," he answered simply, undoing his cloak and tossing it over a nearby chair.
"Jerk!" she hissed, turning into a squeal as he grabbed her from behind and picked her up.
"Put me down you big git!" she shouted through a fit of laughter.
"When I'm good and ready to," he answered spinning her around in large circles.
"I'm serious Sev!" she shrieked as she tried to repress her enjoyment.
"Alright, alright," he muttered and placed her down carefully near the couch so she could steady herself.
"What's gotten into to you? Has someone messed with your pumpkin juice? First you act like an arse and now you're acting like a complete nut," she said, between gasps of air.
"Just trying to make you feel better," he replied, catching his breath as well.
"I'm fine. I don't know what you're talking about," she snapped, her defenses pricking up.
"So you keep saying," he mumbled as he flopped down on the couch.
She soon joined him and they both stared into the dancing flames. Some time passed before either of them spoke. Adah hadn't realized that Severus's arm had snaked its way around her shoulders.
"So what's really going on," she asked as she felt her best mate playing with her hair.
"Hmm?" he murmured.
"I know you Sev. You wouldn't just bring me here to sit by a fire. So tell me what's really going on," she explained.
"I…it's…oh hell!" he attempted but chose the simplest path.
He gently placed his lips to hers before quickly pulling away. Something in the back of Adah's mind flickered momentarily. She vaguely felt as if something similar had happened between them but she couldn't clearly recall. She didn't have much time to contemplate before she felt his lips press against her for a second time. She then became aware of his arm about her shoulders. She pulled away to catch her breath, staring at him wide-eyed.
"Sev…you're scaring me," she whispered, her voice shaking.
"Adah I…" he began but was cut off as she placed a finger to his lips.
"Ok. I understand," she said and with a slight wave of her wand they sat dressed only in their undergarments.
"I…nothing more than what you're comfortable with ok," he said, leaning close, gazing into her eyes.
"Ok," she whispered back before closing the gap between them.
Severus slid his hand amidst the plethora of curls, toying and tugging on them to see what kind of reaction he would get. Oddly enough, she deepened the kiss and wrapped her arms about his neck. He savored the moment in his mind. He hadn't expected she would react so strongly without even asking why. That was what he loved about her, her ability to look into his eyes and know the answer. It was a skill he supposed she had developed over spending countless hours with him, through the good and the bad. Suddenly laughter brought him back to the present.
"You really want to do this on a couch? I would have taken you for a king size bed type," she teased, climbing into his lap.
"Well, if you want," he answered and immediately the couch transfigured into a king size bed.
They were nestled under soft satin sheets of a dark emerald green. The drapes hanging around all sides were a sheer silvery material. Adah snuggled closer to Severus, reveling in the warmth of his body.
"Do you love me?" she asked, running a hand along the sculpting of his chest.
He didn't answer. Instead, he captured her hand in his and kissed each finger softly. He grasped her other one, giving it the same treatment.
"Sev, I need to know. I need an answer," she urged, positioning herself so she was looking directly in his eyes.
"Adah. I've always cared about you," he breathed, fighting back tears.
"That's not what I meant and you know it," she countered.
"If I told you I loved you with all of my being, I think you'd up and leave," he confessed.
"No I wouldn't," she protested, tears springing to her eyes.
"Yes Adah. I do love you and not in the platonic sense of the word. You are my world," he admitted, his breathing becoming shallow.
"Oh Sev," was all she said.
He pulled her down to him and began kissing her tenderly at first, deepening them over time until it was a frenzy of passion. Hands flew over each other in a haste to discard remaining items of clothing. Severus closed his eyes as he felt himself reach a full erection. He opened his onyx colored eyes to meet Adah's, asking for permission before entering her sacred temple. He eased himself into her and as he heard a whimper pass over her lips he stopped.
"I don't want to hurt you," he whispered in her ear, beginning to pull out.
"It's…ok," she gasped, reaching her hand up to wipe sweat from her brow.
He resumed his entrance and this time, Adah did not cry out. Once he was fully inside he began to set a slow, lulling rhythm. He placed butterfly kisses along her neck and jaw line, his hands all the while playing with her hair.
"Is that all you got?" she inquired with a half laugh.
"Hardly," he replied, his voice deep and husky.
He quickened his pace and found himself aroused even more than he previously was. He could feel Adah's body adapting to the new speed and he saw in her face that she was enjoying it. He let out a low moan as he felt the sensation that preceded ejaculation. He bit the inside of his lower lip to try and ward off the inevitable in order to allow Adah more pleasure. Her eyes opened wide and her back arched as she experienced a mind-blowing orgasm. Just as she was about to moan her best friend's name, he captured her lips in a forceful kiss. At that same moment, Severus let go and felt a relaxed state of mind sweep over him as fluids rushed into his angel's body. After several long minutes, the pair lay side by side, both breathing hard. Severus looked over at Adah and saw her gaze was unfocused, as if she was deep in thought. Without so much as a sound, Adah climbed out from under the sheets and hurriedly gathered her clothes, pulling them on as fast as she could. Severus sat up, propping himself up with his elbow.
"Adah what's wrong?" he begged.
"Nothing I…just why would you want to look at me undressed," she mused.
"I think you're beautiful," Severus answered.
"Are we going to change?" she said, posing the question almost randomly.
"What do you mean?" her friend countered.
"I mean…are things going to change between us…because of this," Adah explained.
"No of course not. Not at all," Severus assured her, even though he saw a look of uncertainty in her eyes.
"If it makes you felt better, we can just forget it happened," he added bitterly.
"No Sev. I want to remember I just…I'm not used to this sort of thing. You were my first," she whispered, tossing herself down in the chair where Severus had flung his cloak.
"Don't be ashamed Adah. You were mine too. And I can't think of anyone else I'd rather have been with than you," Severus assured her, rising from the bed and pulling on his boxers and pants.
He sat on the edge of the bed and summoned her chair closer to him. Taking her hands in his, he looked her squarely in the eye. He could tell she was confused and he felt she had a right to be. After all, in mere moments, they'd gone from friends to lovers. He sighed before speaking.
"I just want you to know that whatever you want us to be, I'm happy with," he stated.
"Thank you. You don't know how much that means to me," Adah responded softly.
'You'd be surprised,' he retorted silently.
"Come on, let's get back to the dorm. Don't want anyone getting suspicious," Severus commented and finished dressing.
He grabbed his cloak and hastily flung it about himself before opening the door for Adah. The pair walked back to the Common Room in silence. Upon entering, they hugged briefly and went their separate ways. He assumed his emotionless demeanor and retired to bed, resolving that no one should know what had transpired or how deeply he loved her. Adah fell asleep that night, her mind racing with all she had gathered from Severus that night. It was going to be hard to do what she was destined to do with his unending love wrapping itself around her heart. But that was for another day.