A/N: Short, I know. But I got blocked, and I thought it was enough for a chapter. This one is more calmed, like a break after the Halloween chapters, so I hope you like it and I'm sorry for stopping where I did… I know I'll be a terrible writer for skipping that part, but I will (you'll understand when you get to the end). Anyway…

ENJOY ^_^

PS. To Gelsey (guest) Thank you for your review, I always appreciate them very much. I hope chapter 52 cleared everything regarding Minerva's feelings during the party. About Minerva having a choice, no, I don't think she would although I'll try to write something on this later on; remember that she tell Severus to do what he must, and that Severus didn't want her to be involved in this, and that he asks Narcissa to 'take care', because he knows Minerva is "alright" being with him and another woman, but another man would be another story, so he does try to help in the way he can… I'm happy to see that someone else likes the twisted nature of this story ^_^ I hope you keep reading and enjoying the following chapters.


MY MASTER

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53

Being fine

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by Saeshmea


The soft touch of Severus caressing my hair wakes me up and I open my eyes only to find him sitting beside me on the bed, dressed already.

"Oh, did I oversleep again?" I ask, sitting up under the sheets, expecting him to act Masterly and tell me about my punishment.

"You did," he says, "but just because I let you," and he bends over to kiss me good morning.

"What time is it?"

"You still have thirty minutes before your first class of the morning," he answers, "and I brought you breakfast so you don't have to stop by the Great Hall," and he takes from the night table a tray with a glass of juice, a cup of coffee, two toasts with butter and half an orange; and he leaves it on the bed sheets between him and I, and hands me the cup, "I'll prepare you a nice bath while you eat," and he stands up.

"What's going on?" I ask as I pour the coffee down my throat in one sip. I've always hated the taste, but if my Master wants me to drink it, it must be because he thinks I need the caffeine.

"Nothing," he assures me, "I'm just taking good care of my beautiful queen?" and he disappears into the bathroom of my private rooms.

"Oh, so now I'm your queen during the day and your - how did they say it? - your slave, at night?" I joke, but maybe not with the appropriate tone, because Severus rushes back into the bedroom with a very stern expression.

"You're not my slave," he states, worry and panic in his eyes, so I move the tray away, stand up and walk towards him.

"I know," I ease him, "I was trying to be funny."

"You were not," he replies resoundingly and I kiss the corner of his lips sweetly.

"I'm fine, Severus, really," and I smile, so he knows I mean it, "I had no nightmares tonight and yesterday, it was – fun –, in a dark and strange way, I did enjoy myself in the party."

"You were terrified when I got to you on the table," he mutters.

"You had let them take me away from you, they stripped me down like beasts and I didn't know what was going to happen," I explain, "yes, I was terrified," I confess, "but you came, and you stayed, and I wasn't afraid anymore, because I knew you wouldn't let anyone harm me."

"Finish your breakfast," he says, leaving a soft kiss on my forehead, "or you'll be late for your classes.


"Min, Min!" Rolanda's voice yells from the other side of the corridor while I'm on my way down to the dungeons to pick up Severus to go to the Hogshead, and I have to stop to wait for her.

"What did I tell you about pet names around the school, Ro," I say.

"That they make the children lose respect for us," she replies while we continue our way together.

"Is it so hard for you to use my full name when you're yelling in the middle of the hall, then?"

"Well, no, but Min is shorter," she concludes, and then she asks, "Where were you and your dear twenty-year-old boyfriend last night? You were nowhere to be found in the Halloween party."

"We were in another party," I answer, hoping there are no further questions, "and Severus is not twenty, he is twenty-two."

"As if that made a big difference," she replies, "whose party was it?"

"Some friends invited us."

"What friends? We are your friends!"

"Rolanda," I say, when we reach the main floor, "I do have other friend outside the school. There is Alastor, and Augusta, and…" I realize that other than those I can't think of anyone else, "they were friends of Severus," I decide to say.

"Oh, I see…" she says as if I had just told here that I don't want to be her friend anymore.

"Ro," I say before we part our ways, "I get that with me dating Severus, Pomona having her baby and Poppy being so busy with floo season you must be feeling lonely, but I swear, you're not," and she looks at me with those sad puppy eyes that kids put when they want you to feel sad for them, and I want to scold her for acting like a child, but it's almost midday and I don't want us to be late to meet Alastor, so I don't, "Why don't we have a dinner all together, yes? Any day you choose, in my rooms, Severus will cook, he's an excellent cook," and she suddenly changes her mood.

"Is Friday alright? I'll tell the girls," she says with a big smile, "oh, Min, you're the best of friends!" and she leaves, and I continue my way down the stairs.


"How was your morning?" Severus asks while we cross the yard to the gates of the school under a sheet of dark clouds above our heads.

"Fine," I say, "very peaceful. Oh, before I forget, I think I invited Rolanda for dinner on Friday, and the girls, and probably Hans, too."

"You think?"

"Well, she was feeling lonely and I told her we could have a dinner, and she said on Friday, and I said OK," I look at my Master trying to read the expression on his face and I ask, "is it OK?"

"Of course," he says, "I like Hans, and your friends are – well, your friends."

"Good, because I told her you would be cooking," I add.

"Is there anything else?"

"No, just that I love you," I say, with my arm around his while we wait for the gates to open.

"I love you too."


The tavern is empty, a part from Aberforth, who's cleaning glasses behind the bar, and Alastor, who is sitting in the corner when we go in.

"Minerva, what a delight having you here," Albus' brother greets as Severus helps me out of my cloak.

"It's nice seeing you too, Abe," I reply, "this is professor Snape, by the way, I don't think you'd met him."

"No, how do you do, young boy?" he says with a gentle bow to Severus.

"How do you do, Sir?"

"Aberforth is Dumbledore's brother," I let Severus know.

"Really? I can't see the resemblance, he is nice," he jokes, and Aberforth lets go a loud laugh.

"I like him," he says from behind the bar, "What can I offer you two, dear?"

"Whatever Moody is having will be good," I say before we walk to his table.

We sit down opposite to him and he says nothing, as if he hadn't noticed us.

"Hello, Alastor," I say.

"Let's make this quick," he says, raising his head from the glass of firewhiskey in front of him, "anything to report?" he asks only looking at Severus.

"I made a list with the names in the party," he says, leaving a folded parchment on the table, "I put together those who assisted as couples, it's good to know their weak points during interrogations," and then Aberforth comes with our drinks.

"It's on the house," he says, "but tell my brother I can't be closing the pub for him every time he needs a place for his secret businesses."

"Thank you, Abe," I say with a kind smile, "I'll remind him," and he leaves again.

"What about You-Know-Who, did they say anything?" Alastor asks, going directly to the point.

"No, but they usually treat this matters in a more private meeting, only for those who have the mark," Severus explains, and I remember the moment when half the room left the living room to go to the library during the party, "they didn't let me participate yesterday, but don't worry, they will."

"What about you?" Alastor asks, and it takes me a moment to realize he's actually speaking to me, because his eyes are fixed on the glass between his hands, "anything you'd like to report?"

"No," I say, confused by the situation.

"Alright," he mutters, and he moves on his seat, and I think we're done here, but he suddenly takes out a notebook and a quill, and I realize we're anything but done, "then let's go step by step. At what time did you arrive there?"

Listening to Severus go through the past night in front of my best friend while he writes everything down is worse than having lived it, and by far, the most humiliating thing I've ever had to stand; and I must say that my Master does omits many of the details.

"Alastor, please, look at me," I beg when the meeting is over and Severus goes to take our cloaks.

"I…" he mutters, trying to force his only good eye to look at me, but it's as if it pained him physically and I feel awful.

"I'm doing a dinner at home on Friday," I say, "why don't come?"

"I'm busy," he snaps with his eyes fixed on the empty glass.

"No, you're not. Friday is our night, so you can't say no."

"Why? Why do you want me to come?" he asks, and I take his hand on the table to calm him down.

"Because I need my best friend to be able to look at me," I say, "I want you to see that despite of what Severus and I do sometimes, our life is pretty normal and I am very happy," I add, "we could tell Augusta to come, it will be a nice reunion, and the girls will be there too, you do remember Rolanda, and Poppy…"

"Poppy?" Aberforth suddenly appears next to us to clean the table, "Poppy is the mediwitch that works in the school, isn't she?"

"Yes, indeed, Abe."

"And she's going to this dinner of yours?"

"Yes, she is," and I suddenly understand, "would you like to come, Aberforth?"

"I, I wouldn't like to be rude, inviting myself like this…"

"You're not inviting yourself, I'm telling you to come," I say, "and I might invite Albus as well," and I stand up when Severus comes back already wearing his cloak and holding mine on his hands, "be there at seven o'clock, alright? You too, Alastor."

"Whatever," he mutters, still hiding from me, and I just let it go.

"You do realize that at some point you'll have to stop inviting more people to this dinner, right?" Severus asks when we step outside the pub, "I mean, it's your rooms in the castle, not your manor, my love."

"I know, don't worry, we only have to transfigure this and that and there'll be plenty of space," I say, and it suddenly starts to rain.


I'm soaking when we get to the castle – we both are –, so Severus takes us to his rooms in the dungeons, which are closer.

"Take off your clothes," he says as he lights the fire with a tap of his wand and then he disappears into the bedroom and comes back with a couple blankets.

He lays one of them on the floor near the fireplace, takes off his also wet clothes and sits down on the ground using some pillows to be more comfortable; meanwhile, I stand on the stone floor, naked, with my hands joined behind my back and my face looking at the front.

"Kneel," he commands, and I do so, feeling aroused by his power over me, by the realization that we've got to the point where one single word sets the different between being his partner and being his submissive. "I want you to tell me how you felt yesterday," he says, and I frown, "I want you to describe your thoughts and feelings while you were tied up to the table and later in the nursery with Mrs. Malfoy," he adds, "it is not meant to be a punishment, it is neither a way to humiliate you, Minerva, I just want you to let everything out so you can feel better."

"But I am fine, Sir," I say.

"You have spent the entire morning smiling and saying you're fine, in less than two hours, you have invited seven people for dinner on Friday to your rooms, when you barely stand to be in a room with more than three adults… Minerva, you're not fine, you've just convinced yourself you are."

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TO BE CONTINUED…