When they returned to the castle they found the common room to be empty. "Maybe we are the only Slytherin students to stay behind this time," Syrulia suggested. "Perhaps," Severus stated drily. "Severus, I've been meaning to ask you something," she stated. "Oh," he questioned, raising an eyebrow. The pair sat down on the couch by the fire, and Syrulia snuggled close to Severus. She could feel him tense slightly. He was still not used to her being so close to him. "Perhaps it is a question best left for another time," Syrulia doubted. "Come now, just tell me," Severus said in his normal cool tone, looking down at her.
"Well," Syrulia started, "I just… do you think that maybe… maybe we could try sleeping together, while the dormitory's empty." Severus' heart raced now, thinking about the prospect. "Syrulia, I'm not so sure…" his voice trailed off as he saw the crestfallen look on her face. "It's just that, maybe we aren't going to be alone. We should just wait and see; we can discuss this again later," he reassured her. "I hope you will at least consider it," she murmured, playing with the hem of her dress.
As they sat in silence, Syrulia thought of another question, "What did you say to Lily?" Severus tensed even more with this question, looking back to the fire. "I just apologized again," he stated. "And she accepted this time," Syrulia concluded. "Yes," Severus said. After a moment of silence, he added, "Because of you." She looked up at him curiously, and he elaborated, "I told her about you. How you're changing me for the better." "Am I really?" Syrulia asked, a small smirk playing on her lips. Severus nodded, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "I love you, Severus," she whispered, her hands grasping his robes pulling herself against him tightly. "And I love you," he stated, kissing the top of her head.
At dinner it was confirmed that Syrulia and Severus were indeed the only Slytherin students to have stayed behind. It was also acknowledged that Professor Slughorn had left for the holiday as well. So, Syrulia had gotten her wish, she and Severus would be completely alone in the Slytherin dormitories. All through dinner her heart raced as she hoped that Severus would concede and say yes to her request. When they entered the Slytherin common room, Severus said nothing. He plopped down in an armchair, and Syrulia sat across from him.
"So," she questioned. He was still silent but looked up at her hopeful face. Really there was no good reason to say no. They were completely alone, with not even their head of house there to check in on them. The professors completely trusted them, as they were high-level students with exceptional work. Who would expect them to be getting into trouble in private? No one. The only thing giving him pause was his own fear of something that he had never done. 'What's the worst that can happen,' he thought, 'we've already been intimate once.' With this thought he finally conceded, "Yes, you can come to my bed." The smile spread across Syrulia's face, pure joy shining through her eyes. "It will be lovely, I promise," she commented happily.
"Are you ready to go now," Severus asked her, looking into her eyes. She nodded, still smiling happily. Syrulia stood up, staring down at him, "I will go get ready and meet you in there." "Alright," Severus said, smirking up at her. Syrulia's heart beat quickly as she made her way into the girls' dorms to change and gather a few things. She felt so blissful; it felt like her life was finally worth living. She couldn't wait to join Severus and lay curled up with him.
"The next chapter is another Lemony one, so skip to chapter 28 if you'd rather not read that. ^-^