Thank you so much to everyone that responded after the previous chapter. I was so nervous about posting it so the reassurances I received were enough to calm me. So thank you if I haven't been able to thank you personally.

Here is the next chapter! Quick right? I'm currently on holiday (visiting with family) and while things are busy I still quite some quiet time to write. So I'm taking advantage of my renewed energy to keep writing. Whoop!

If anyone wants to follow me on Tumblr, I will be posting the music I listened to for the first section of this chapter which really set the tone of the scene. I used to post all of these kinds of things on Live Journal but I very rarely use it anymore. I don't really use Tumblr all that much but it seems a good place to post this video. I'm under the same name on Tumblr as I am here. Pop in and say hi!

Thanks again everyone for reading and I hope you enjoy this next chapter xx

Chapter 36

She was using his arm as a pillow and he stared at her back as he felt her fingers tracing the snake that occasionally throbbed on his skin. He didn't really know what to say to her and he wondered if she was thinking the same thing. Perhaps that was the reason she turned onto her side when he moved off her.

Severus looked at the outline of her face and he could see her long lashes flutter as she blinked her eyes. He felt her fingers float across his skin until she reached his hand and intertwined them with his. Taking that as encouragement, he raised his free arm and touched the bare skin of her hip where her slip had risen up. He caressed the soft skin there and wondered what it would feel like under his lips. Before he had the chance to find out, he felt her shifting beside him.

Minerva rolled until she was facing him and she smiled against his arm as she snuggled into him. Severus returned her smile. He hadn't experienced this before. There had never been this... was it cuddling? Whatever it was called, he felt as though they were basking in it. He watched her close her eyes and arch her back, stretching like her animal counterpart. Her hair had long since come free and she brushed it away from her neck impatiently. Severus laughed and stroked his hand across her neck, removing the strands of hair from there. He felt her eyes on him, her hands moved to rest against his chest and one of her legs hooked over his.

"Hello," she whispered.

Severus scoffed at the slight ridiculousness of her greeting but folded his arms around her body and held her against him. "Hello."

They spent a little while just touching and kissing each other, almost as if they were trying to reassure themselves that what had happened had been real. Minerva was the first to move and he watched her conjure up a pin that she used to tie her hair back as she sat up. He lifted his hand and traced the line of her spine under her slip and she looked down at him over her shoulder. "We should dress," she said, her eyes looking at him sadly. "I have no idea what time it is and Logan could be back any time now."

Severus nodded and sat up too but instead of moving to recover his clothes, he leaned against her back and pressed a kiss against her shoulder. "Are you ok?" He asked, lifting his eyes to meet hers. She smiled at him from over her shoulder again. Instead of replying, she turned slightly and pressed her lips to his in a lingering kiss.

"Perfect," she whispered before pushing herself to her feet and leaving him. Severus watched her for a few moments as she gathered her clothing. His gut twisted in worry despite what she'd said to him. Should he have said something? Perhaps done something? In his previous 'excursions', they had ended with no words or with the exchange of money but this was so very different to those times. He didn't want to do anything to upset Minerva.

"I er..." he paused and she turned to look at him, her dress hanging from her hands. "I don't... what does this mean for us?" He managed to ask.

Minerva pulled her dress on over her head and tried to smooth it down as best she could. "It means whatever we want it to mean," she said, walking to the mirror that sat above the fireplace.

"I don't..." he sighed and stood up, only then realising just how naked he was. He quickly located his boxers and trousers and pulled them on, leaving the buttons open at the top as he moved toward her. "How do we... I mean, going forward. How does this..."

Minerva silenced him with the tip of her index finger on his lips and a slight smile. "This is ours, Severus," she said, her voice soft and soothing. "This is our world, our sanctuary. We can do as we please, whenever we please. If you wish to end this after tonight then so be it, there will be no hard feelings." Severus felt himself panic slightly at the thought of this ending but before he could voice his concerns she kissed him again, this time her tongue danced with his and he felt her hands wander across his chest. "However," she said, kissing his jaw. "I for one am hoping that we may do this again."

"You are?" He asked, grabbing her by the waist when she tried to move past him.

She smiled and Severus leaned in to kiss her. "I am," she said between his kisses. "But now you must hasten, Severus." Before he could kiss her again she managed to duck from under his arms and pick up his shirt. She pushed it at his chest and he smirked at her. "I'm going to see if I can find Lydia and check how much time has passed. Could you..?" She indicated to the room and he knew what she was asking.

Severus scoffed and nodded. "Go," he said, catching the smile she gave him before she released the spells on the room and left. He quickly dressed and cleaned away the pillows and blankets he'd put down for her to lay on. He then cleaned the air, hoping that the smell of sex wouldn't linger too much. As he walked back to his desk, he waved his wand toward the windows and opened them. As he sat behind the desk, the scent of flowers from the garden filtered into the room.

The pile of books he had selected before he had gone down to the kitchens were still on the desk. His motivation for research had quite evaporated and along with it, the reason he had gone down to the kitchen again. In the end, it didn't really matter.

As he sat behind the desk, he let his mind wander to the events that had taken place in the last few hours. He would be amiss if he said that what had happened hadn't been a surprise. Yes, the events of the previous few weeks, what happened at the festival and then in her quarters at Hogwarts, suggested that they were heading in this direction but for it to happen so soon and so suddenly? His immediate worry had been whether she was making the choice just in spite of what her sister had said but she had insisted that this had been what she wanted. If he had been a stronger person, perhaps he would have stopped it but he wasn't and so he didn't. The truth was, he wanted it just as much as she did.

The whole weekend had been eye opening for him. Seeing a cohesive and loving family had been almost alien to him and yet he felt himself longing for the familiarity of their interactions. Seeing Minerva with them, and with Peter too, made him realise just how much he'd missed out on life. Perhaps if he'd been part of a caring family such as this, he wouldn't have taken the directions that he did. Perhaps he would have been sorted into Gryffindor. Perhaps he and Lily would never have fallen out. Little Harry would have bore his resemblance and he and Lily would have lived in the countryside as she'd always wanted.

Even with his heart heavy at the 'could have beens', he knew that if all that had taken place, he would never have found his way here. Perhaps if he was living the life he wanted, he wouldn't care about this one. He was surprised that the thought actually saddened him. Now that he was here, with everything that had happened, he couldn't really imagine life without Minerva McGonagall. Perhaps even more surprisingly, it wasn't the sexual aspect that he would miss, it was her friendship. Not that he would offer to give it up but he would willing ignore his needs if it threatened their friendship. Somehow, along the way her kindness and her friendship had become almost as essential to his survival as the oxygen he breathed.

-x-

"Mother suggested that we go into the village for dinner," Logan said as he opened the door to the study after Severus had invited him in. "What do you say?"

"To what?" Severus asked, reluctantly looking up from his books. It had taken him a fair while to get back into his research and now that he had, he didn't really want to stop.

"Dinner," Logan said, sitting down in the chair by the fire. When Severus looked over at him, he was reminded at what had taken place not a foot away from where he sat.

"I'm a little busy," he said, clearing his throat and returning his attention back to his books.

"My aunt said you'd say that," he laughed. "She said you need to eat and that if you weren't dressed and down in the foyer by 7pm she'd come here herself and drag you out by your ear."

Severus scoffed and looked up at the other man. "She said no such thing," he said and watched as Logan smiled.

"It got your attention though didn't it?"

"If I say yes, will you leave?" He asked, not unkindly. Logan laughed again, louder this time.

"If this is polite, I dread to think what you're like at your worst!"

"Pray you never find out," Severus leaned back in his chair with a smirk as Logan rose from his and walked toward him. He could tell from the challenging look he had in his eyes that his words had been taken as the joke they were meant to be.

"Have it your way," Logan smirked. "Mr Howard will be joining us and I know how much my aunt enjoys his company."

Severus narrowed his eyes at Logan's tactic. He knew what he was doing. He wanted him to enquire about this Mr Howard, hoping to use it as a way to coerce him into going to dinner. But Severus wasn't going to fall that easily and he rolled his eyes as he returned to his books. "I'm sure you will all have a delightful time."

"Oh I'm sure," Logan said, slowly making his way toward the door. "Perhaps tonight will be the night Mr Howard finally plucks up the courage to ask my aunt out to dinner..."

Severus's head shot up. "Excuse me?" As soon as the words were out of his mouth he regretted it. Logan spun around to face him, a triumphant smile on his lips.

"Ah ha!" He strode back to the desk. "I had a feeling that would get your attention."

"Not for the reasons in your head," Severus muttered.

"And what might they be?"

Severus narrowed his eyes at Logan, trying to figure him out. "If you have an agenda Logan, I suggest you get to it."

"Alright," Logan said, sitting on the edge of the desk. "I've noticed a change in my aunt since you started at the school. I don't claim to know what it is but I can see that she's happy. For whatever reason, one I don't see, you seem to make her happy. You seem like a decent sort of man but working at the Ministry..." he shifted uncomfortably. "I know certain things about your past..."

"I was a Death Eater," Severus said, making Logan look toward the door nervously.

"Earlier, I got... I allowed what I had heard at work to cloud my judgement but I meant what I said afterward," he said, his voice gentle but earnest. "I am very protective of my aunt. I would never want any harm to come to her."

Severus nodded in agreement. "Neither would I."

"Does she know?" Logan asked quietly. "Does aunt Neva know about... that you're..."

"She knew before we became friends," Severus answered. "From what I understand she didn't want me at the school at first but then things changed. I showed her that I no longer have any desire to be part of that group anymore."

"And is it true?" Logan asked. "Did you really change your allegiance?"

"Yes," Severus replied. "Not that I need to prove this to you. Your aunt trusts me and seeing as she knows more about me than you do, I suggest you talk to her about this if you are concerned."

Logan laughed. "Not a chance," he said, shaking his head. "Do you honestly think my aunt would stand for these kinds of questions?"

"And yet you ask me?"

"Well I thought..." Logan sighed. "I don't have many wizarding friends in the UK. Most of my close friends here are muggles and well, it would be nice to have a friend of my own age."

Awkward is exactly how Severus would describe this meeting should anyone enquire about it in the future. One thing he didn't have was friends and he especially didn't have friends that just happened to be related to women he was having some kind of an affair with.

"You're welcome to say no, Severus," Logan smirked. "I know that you are first and foremost my aunt's friend and colleague. I had hoped, that with you helping me revise for my potions exams that you might, on occasion, also be my friend."

"What is it with this family and their need to be friends with everyone?" Severus muttered under his breath. "I am not a good friend," he said finally. "More often than not, I am left to wonder why your aunt still bothers with me. I am not pleasant to be around."

"You can't be that bad," Logan narrowed his eyes as if trying to see something specific in him. "Anyway, I'm willing to give it a try if you are." He stood up from the desk. "Now come along, change your robes and meet us in the foyer. I can't stand Mr Harvey and I'm hoping if you're there to distract my aunt, he won't get a word in about dinner." He winked and disappeared behind the door, leaving Severus to laugh to himself, remarking at the striking similarities between the man and his aunt.

-x-

"Oh it really is smashing luck that we happened to be in the village at the same time," Mr Harvey said loudly, his red face getting brighter and brighter the more he ate. "You really should come by more often Minerva, it's always wonderful to see your smiling face around these parts."

Severus looked over at Minerva who wasn't doing much smiling. If anything, her eyes had narrowed and were firmly fixed on her sister. Logan elbowed him in the side discreetly and leaned in. "Told you she enjoyed his company," he whispered with a barely continued laugh.

From what Severus could tell, Lydia had invited the older gentleman along and was pushing her sister in his direction. Minerva looked as though she were about to send a very painful hex at the pair of them. "I think I'll take a walk before my main," Severus said, standing abruptly. He could tell he'd shocked everyone at the table but he didn't care. He glanced toward Minerva. "Would you care to join me?"

The faint smile and relief in her eyes were all he needed to know that he had done the right thing. "I would be delighted," she said, standing quickly and heading for the door before anyone could say anything. Severus glanced toward Logan and he looked as though he were about to plead to be allowed to join them when Lydia pulled him into a new conversation with Mr Harvey. Severus shrugged a shoulder at him and followed Minerva out of the restaurant.

"Minerva?" She was sitting on a swing in the empty children's play area when he finally found her.

"I'm sorry about tonight," she said, turning to look at him. "Lydia suggested it and I agreed before I knew he was coming."

Severus sat on the swing next to her. "Who is he?"

"A friend of Lydia's husband," she said, pushing her feet off the ground so that she gently swayed on her swing. "He lives in a cottage nearby and has all the airs and graces of a nobleman." She rolled her eyes at that.

"I take it he's not," Severus asked, feeling a little confused that she would care his status.

Her eyes widened a little as she turned to look at him. "I don't want you to think that I care about such things," she said quickly. "I abhor people who surround themselves in deceptions. They only want to make themselves look better than they are and I do not trust them. Sidney Harvey is nothing more than a fraud and a bore."

"Such harsh words," Severus teased, unable to stop himself and he was grateful that she smiled at him.

"Do not make fun of me Severus," she said, looking at him over the rim of her glasses.

"Is this another situation where I should refrain from being funny?" He asked, trying to keep a straight face.

Minerva laughed out loud at that and Severus found he could no longer keep up his charade. "You are impossible," she said, trying to get her laughter under control again.

"Perhaps," he said, looking up at the dark sky. The moon lit the road leading away from the restaurant. "Let's go for a walk."

"Our food will be here soon," she said, glancing out at the road. "We can't go too far."

"Then we won't," he said, standing up and offering her his hand. She smiled and allowed him to pull her out of her swing.

As they walked, Severus kept hold of her hand in his. They didn't speak much, they didn't have to. He was comfortable in their silence and Minerva seemed to enjoy the sound of the breeze brushing over the tall grass in the nearby field. "In my entire time at Hogwarts, I have never not wanted to go back," she said, pulling him from his thoughts. "This dinner confirmed why I love spending the majority of my year at the school and had me longing to return but then..." she stopped and turned to face him. Severus looked down into her eyes, the moon light making them seem almost grey but they shone brightly. "Then you bring me out here and it's just the two of us and I..." she sighed, unsure of herself.

"I want to thank you, Minerva," he said, lifting his hand to trace the outline of her bottom lip. "I have enjoyed this weekend. I have enjoyed my time with you. I have endured time with your family, but there have been moments where I almost enjoyed them too." He was thankful for the small laugh she gave at his words. "But mostly I want to thank you for showing me what life can be like."

He had surprised her, he could tell from the stunned expression on her face. "How..." she paused, once again unsure of herself. "How did I do that?"

"I lamented for some time today that had my life had happier beginnings, like Logan's, that perhaps I would be living the life I wanted. The life I thought I deserved," he said, stepping closer to her. "But then I realised that if I continued to live in the past, to always be grieving the events that never took place... I would forget to live. You reminded me that there are things to live for."

"Severus..." He watched her eyes fill with tears and he immediately wished he could take his words back. Had he made a mistake?

"I'm sorry," he said quickly, stepping away from her as he watched the tears begin to fall. "I didn't..."

Before he could get too far, Minerva threw her arms around his waist and embraced him. She buried her head under his chin and held him tightly. Severus hesitantly folded his arms around her back and buried his head in her hair, taking a deep breath and reminding himself of the few hours they stole together by the fireplace in the study.

"Your friendship means the world to me Severus," she said against him. "I never thought it would. I never thought that I would care for someone who fought for against us during the war but..." she looked at him. "You have a way of getting under my skin."

He narrowed his eyes at her and she smirked. "Your stubbornness gave me little room to deny your insistence of friendship. It was more your doing than mine," he said.

"And you have finally thanked me for it," she said, placing a kiss on his cheek. She pulled back and Severus watched her as she began to make her way back to the restaurant. He looked to the ground and smiled sadly. He didn't want the weekend to end either.

Waaahhhhh! I want them to stay for longer but I need to get them back to school... whhhhyyyyy?! Wait... this is my story... no stop it! They have to go back. The story must continue. Le sigh.

Hope you enjoyed! I'd love to know your thoughts or feel free to just me a hello. I'd love to start getting to know everyone again.

Night night all! xx