The Blood Compact – Chapter 49 – Surrender
Several days had passed since they had come back to the Prince Manor. No news came to them, they were isolated from the rest of the world, wizarding and Muggle alike. But for sure, Severus and Amelia enjoyed that isolation. They knew it would not last long but they wanted to enjoy these days together and together only.
No news, except Dumbledore that had come back to his portrait in the manor to get news from Severus. He had asked Harry about Severus. The young wizard had told him that the Potions Master had been wounded yet he had managed to leave Hogwarts before being made a prisoner by an irate Minerva McGonagall. Hearing this, the old Headmaster had had a talk with the now Headmistress and had told her everything. His revelations, combined with Severus' memories in the Pensive, had made her change her mind about the Dark wizard turned spy for the Greater Good.
Dumbledore got in touch with Amelia on the day after. The young witch was in the drawing-room when she heard some noise coming from the portrait. She explained that Severus was out of danger but still weak. He needed rest, which reassured Dumbledore a bit. The old man had been shaken by Severus' predicament. He was aware the wizard had almost met his death. He thanked Amelia heartily for her taking care of Severus. He wished him a fast recovery and promised to come back later to talk to him directly. Amelia told him she would convey his message to the Potions Master.
Their first goal had been to treat their respective wounds. Amelia's were quickly cured. Severus' chest wound required more time to heal. But all in all, his health improved rather quickly, thanks to the counter-curse used on a very regular basis, as well as to the tender care and attention Amelia provided. She cleaned his wound with her breast milk only and it proved to do wonders on it. She also cooked him light yet delicious meals, she ordered him to have rest, to the point that she reminded Severus of Poppy Pomfrey. With a more loving touch though.
Two days later, as his condition had improved, the Potions Master called Dumbledore through his portrait. The old wizard almost cried over seeing a man he considered as a son being alive and well. This outpour of emotion unsettled Severus at first but inside, he was glad to know that somehow, he counted for Dumbledore, that the old man was not using him only for his sole purpose, however noble it may be – getting the world rid of Lord Voldemort. Dumbledore left his portrait reassured that Severus was in good hands and eventually sharing a bit of happiness with Amelia.
Severus and Amelia spent their days and evenings reading together or talking about various topics, from magic to education to their respective lives. They had reached a certain level of intimacy – not physically, but more on a psychological level, which was for Severus the equivalent of being naked in front of her. He trusted her she would keep his secrets safe as she had told him many things too. In a sense, Amelia had accepted to strip herself bare psychologically speaking too. Not an easy task for either of them, as they were both private individuals. Life had not always been kind to them either and somehow it had left its mark on their respective mindsets.
They were not physically intimate again. Amelia was still very self-conscious and Severus respected that. She expressed her milk in the kitchen and he did his best not to be there in such moments. She appreciated his respect. He preferred not to be there as the sight could prove unmanageable for him. Since he had known what sexual pleasure was – with her – he knew the mere sight of her naked could make him go over the edge again.
Yet, they could spend long minutes kissing each other, in front of the grate in the library, coiled against each other, holding hands, enjoying the moment together. At night, they shared the same mattress in the study, they kissed each other tenderly before falling asleep holding hands but that was all. In a sense, they did not seem to be in a hurry to go further.
Severus could not deny he wanted her though. He was hard every morning but he welcomed it as a sign his health was improving after the nasty wound he had received. But in no way he would put pressure on her. He did not want to renew what he called 'the Spinner's End disaster' in his mind. He would let her come to him – whatever the time it may take.
Amelia did not mind though, when one evening, he let his hand wander on her blouse, cupping her breasts. But it was wet there and they stopped there as she had to express her milk. She was well aware of his desire for her. She felt herself feeling desire for him too. She knew there would come a time when they would make love again together. Or attempt to do so. She felt both thrilled and terrified at the same time at the perspective.
After a few days, Severus had fully recovered – or he felt he had. He could breathe normally again. He remembered his plans for the manor, that he would make it safe again after the war. Now he had time on his hands. Now was the time or never.
One morning, he talked to Amelia about these plans of his. She voiced some concern about his health and how the magic required for the task would strain him, but he clinched the argument once and for all by suggesting her to do it with him. He would break the curses and she would come after him to make the upper floor inhabitable. She agreed – she would keep an eye on him in case something might go wrong. She may even learn something just by watching him do after all – the ever Ravenclaw.
Severus began to work on the staircase then the corridor. To his surprise, the curses there were less potent and numerous than they had been on the ground floor. Which was logical in a sense as thieves were to enter a house through the main door or the windows on the ground floor. There were anti-Apparition wards on the upper floor windows but Severus did not remove them. He just checked they were strong enough.
He had entered the first room on his left. A bedroom. Most likely a guest room as it was not very big despite its more than reasonable proportions by Muggle standards. A four-poster double bed, a cabinet, curtains of a dark blue shade. The whole room was in blue hues. No magical portraits. A view giving on the front yard. He thought at once that Amelia would love the room. He began to remove the curses set up there. This was quickly done as there were only three curses which he had already encountered before. He removed them quickly before calling Amelia.
"What do you think ?"
The young witch looked at the room. Then she glanced at Severus who read in her eyes that she loved it already. "It's in blue..."
"Yes, blue. A Ravenclaw like you should like it. Now this is your room."
She watched him. "My room ? And you, what about you ?"
"Me ?" he asked as if he had not gathered the meaning behind her question.
"I don't want..." She lowered her eyes.
"What don't you want ?" he asked softly.
"I don't want to sleep far away from you, Severus," she whispered, blushing.
He took her in his arms. "I don't want either. But I want even less to put pressure on you, Amelia."
She looked up at him. "Severus. We shared the same bed in Spinner's End for months. You sleep on the same mattress as I do now. You never..." She swallowed. "You never compelled me to do anything. I don't think you're going to do so now. I trust you."
"I don't want to hurt you."
"You won't hurt me by sleeping in the same bed as me. Besides, you did not hurt me last time. I don't want you to think so. I've already told you that." A pause. "We both know who hurt me and he's gone, definitively." She smiled at him. "I trust you and I love you, Severus."
That was all he needed. He hugged her more closely against him. They ended up their embrace with a long, tender kiss. "Amelia..." His husky tone spoke volumes about how he felt for her.
She beamed. "So that's settled. I'm going to make that room liveable for the both of us and tonight, at last, we could sleep in a real bed."
Her enthusiasm made him feel better. "And what about having a real bath too ? There's a bathroom adjacent to the bedroom."
Her whole face lit up. "Oh, that would be wonderful, Severus !"
He led her to the bathroom and opened the door. The whole place was tiled from floor to ceiling with white tiles, decorated with dark blue geometrical designs, which gave the bathroom a very luminous atmosphere. A big tub was sitting in the middle. A shower stall big enough to accommodate two people occupied a whole side of the bathroom.
Amelia loved the place at once. "I'm sure I'm going to enjoy it."
She whipped out her wand and began muttering incantations that Severus did not know. Housework spells. He kept on watching her transforming a place on the verge of decay into a more than decent bathroom and bedroom. More light as dust was removed from the furniture, the mirrors, the window panes.
She caught him watching her. He looked positively impressed. "This is how you did it, for the rest of the house ?" he asked, slightly amused.
She smiled at him. "Yes. Though that's only a beginning. Leave me here and tonight, you won't recognize the place."
"I've got no doubt on that."
Severus went out and began removing the curses in the other rooms. At the end of the day, the whole upper floor had been freed of all the curses that had been set there mostly likely by Severus' maternal grandfather. On her side, Amelia had not lost time either. She had cleaned the staircase, the corridor, the bedroom and the bathroom, which now had been restored to their past glory. She had found some linen in a cabinet. After a series of thorough Scourgify and Tergeo spells, clean towels had been sent to the bathroom and fresh bedsheets into the bed. The dark blue curtains had been cleaned of their pests, as well as the chairs, the cushions and the pillows, and the thick dark blue blanket that covered the bed. She could not help thinking how strange it was to find Ravenclaw colours in a Slytherin house. Because the Princes had been a Slytherin family. The bed head and posters were decorated with intricate snake designs...
But Severus was so intelligent, so knowledgeable, so skilled, he had many Ravenclaw traits too. Maybe it ran in his magical family after all. His maternal grandfather, who had set up the curses and wards on the whole house, must have been a highly intelligent, knowledgeable individual too.
What a lovely mix... she could not help thinking. The bedroom was a mix of both Houses, an elegant summary of their own relationship. As if the room had been designed their them only, waiting for them and their love to blossom between its walls.
The bathroom bore the mark of the House of Slytherin too. The taps were snake-shaped. She wondered whether the other rooms bore such designs. She would not be surprised. But the colour scheme there is white and blue. Blue, like my House, she could not help thinking.
Amelia did not mind snakes. She felt good in the bedroom. She liked the place and the bed was comfortable. Much more than the mattress in the study. Out of joy, she cast her Patronus and a snake appeared, slithering above the bed a for moment before coiling itself on the bed, like a sleepy cat. Amelia smiled at it. Yes, she felt very happy at the moment. She hoped it would last forever – even if deep down she knew it could not.
That evening, Severus and Amelia went to bed earlier. They would not have voiced it but they were eager to share the same bed again. After one hour spent reading together in the library, they decided it was now time to go to bed and have an early night.
Severus took Amelia's hand in his. He led her upstairs. They entered what was now their bedroom. They felt suddenly shy, together in such an intimate place that would be theirs only. He took her between his arms and kissed her gently, tenderly, as if he felt she needed to be reassured. He needed to be reassured too.
After long minutes, he caressed her hair and her face. Without a word, he removed her shawl from her shoulders. She let him do. Then he took her hands in his and put them on his frock coat buttons. "You know how to do it," he whispered.
She nodded. She knew what he meant. She had done it before – removing his garments to take care of his wounds. She began to unfasten the buttons. She took her time. He was patient. When she was done, she helped him out of the dark clothing. She did the same for his waistcoat. Before she could start on his white shirt, Severus took care of her blouse. He noticed the small stains of milk that had flowed out of her nipples.
"Do you want me to help you with that ?" he asked tentatively.
She nodded her consent, blushing. Soon her shirt fell on the floor. She turned her back onto him and removed her long hair to show her bra so that he could unfasten it. He kissed her on the neck. She felt his tongue on the scars he had made there. She closed her eyes, he could be sweet when it counted.
"Do you like it ?" he asked in a purring voice, his mouth almost on the collar she still wore, his warm breath on her already shivering skin.
"Yes..." she whispered so low that he would not have heard her if he had not been so close to her.
Severus cupped her breasts with his both hands. "I'll stop the very second you ask me to, Amelia."
She turned herself between his arms. "No ! Please... keep on..." She had not realized that now, she was half-naked between his arms, her breasts against his shirt. The contact was so sensual. He kissed her again. She knotted her hands around his neck.
After long seconds spent as such, Severus turned her so that her back was against him. He resumed cupping her breasts, massaging them gently, enjoying her skin so sweet, so soft. A bit of milk flowed on his fingers. Which he put in his mouth, licking it.
"I love how you taste, Amelia."
He released her and sat on the bed. From there, he held out his hand to invite her to come closer to him. He remembered the sight of her breasts, in the boathouse... How much he had wanted to kiss them there, though he had not been able to, wounded as he had been then.
He remembered in a flash all the times he had seen her breasts before. When she had been given to him, when she had come to him the first time to give her milk. An intense rush of desire ran through his body. Her breasts were his favourite part of her body, for sure. With the scars he had made on her neck, the very night she had been given to him.
Amelia approached him. When she was close enough to him, he began to lick the milk that had flowed from her nipples, following the trail left by the substance. His tongue was warm on her skin. She gasped when his mouth reached her breast, when his tongue played with her nipple in a teasing caress. How much he had wanted to do that ! How much she found the daring caress enjoyable !
Amelia moaned appreciatively. That was so good... One of his hands was caressing her other breast while his other hand had grabbed her waist. Then Severus decided the other nipple deserved his attentions too. He began to lick it with gentleness, even sucking on it, absorbing the milk. It was delicious.
Where has he learned that ? Amelia could not help thinking before realizing he was doing all this out of instinct – and an ardent wish to please her. She felt grateful to him that he felt confident enough to set aside his own awkwardness and focus on her pleasure.
Thing was, Severus Snape had always been a very focused man.
When he was done with her breasts, Amelia sat on his lap and began to kiss him gently. His kissing abilities had much improved, under her gentle guidance. He enjoyed kissing her and she did nothing to hide she loved his kisses too.
She broke the kiss and caressed his black hair, his pale cheeks, in a loving fashion. He craved for her tender touch on him and she could give him that. He was not a kind man but he could be good to her. He would. He would do his best. On the other side, she enjoyed his firm, possessive grip on her body. As if he would not let go of her. It provided her with a sense of security, which she needed much. Only him could give that to her. His possessiveness was something she relished in completely.
A moment later, they both fell on the bed, she on top of him. Severus was caressing her shoulders, her cheeks, her hair. His fingers lingered on her neck – how much he loved these scars ! She was his. He wanted to make her his, yet, he felt awfully awkward. Kissing was one thing. Lovemaking a whole another. He was not sure he could perform – or rather he was sure he would perform in the same disastrous manner he had the very first time with her in Spinner's End.
Somehow, Amelia sensed all this. She raised her head to watch him. She caressed his face and smiled at him to reassure him she wanted all this, with him. Yet, this was not enough, as the she could still read the question in his dark eyes. She decided to follow another course of action.
"Severus, do you trust me ?"
He looked surprised for a few seconds. "Yes, I do, Amelia. Why ?"
She smiled mischievously. "Would you consent to..." She felt at a loss for words all of a sudden. "I mean..."
"If I consent to make love with you ? Don't you think I should be the one to ask you this ?"
"Well, yes... no... I mean... well..." A sigh. "Sorry, Severus, I know you want me to go straight to the point."
"Indeed. That would help. What do you mean ?"
"Do you want me to... to guide you ?"
The meaning would have been lost on anyone else. But not on Severus. He knew what she meant. Somehow, surrendering the control of the situation to her would be comfortable. If he let her have her way with him, if he let her guide him, he was almost certain he would not fail this time. That was all he needed, in terms of inner security.
"And you, do you want this ? With me ?"
She nodded. "Yes, Severus. I want it. More than ever."
He caressed her cheek. Her determination was pleasant to hear. "Then, I let you guide me." His hand on her cheek became hotter on her skin. "Show me, Amelia..." His voice had become huskier with lust. "Take me, Amelia..."
Severus leant his head towards hers, his lips meeting hers in a kiss that was no longer shy. His mouth devoured hers with a ferocious hunger, as if a dam had broken inside him, letting go of his pent-up sensuality. Amelia responded to him beautifully, her tongue meeting his in an amorous duet.
He took his wand. Amelia guessed what he wanted to do. She stopped him with a firm grip on his wrist. "No," she said in a breath. "Don't use magic. Let's get rid of our garments... without magic."
Severus peered at her. He did not need to resort to Legilimency though. He remembered what he had seen in her memories, when he had taught her Occlumency. Wormtail had removed her garments using magic, back then on that fatal day when he had raped her. He nodded and even let out a smile. "No problem, Amelia. You decide. I'm yours... Mistress."
She laughed heartily at his joke. She had called him 'Master' so many times, that it was funny to hear him doing so on his turn. Then, with a serious look in her eyes : "Let me do, you won't regret it." She straddled him and took off the rest of her clothes, before removing his own, while caressing his body gently, careful of the scars he had earned himself lately. She kissed him too. Severus let her do indeed. It was really enjoyable. He craved for that touch of hers on his body. She came back to her initial straddling position on him. He could feel her warm body on his own.
"I love you, Severus, and I want you. Now !"
He said nothing but put his hands on her waist. They were burning. "Keep caressing my back," she instructed softly. At one moment, she impaled herself on his hard shaft. He gasped at the sensation of her hot, wet cavity surrounding his maleness. She stopped when she felt she had taken him wholly. She kissed his lips, inserting her tongue in his mouth as surely as he had his cock sheathed in her body. He moaned in the kiss.
"How do you feel ?" she asked.
"Great..." he whispered.
"Good. Let's continue then."
He moaned even more when he felt her move around him. She did so at her own pace, slowly first, then faster and faster. She had her breasts bouncing in front of his face and still acting out on instinct, he took one nipple in his mouth. Amelia moaned, of a moan coming from the depths of her throat.
"Oh, Severus... that's so good !"
Thus encouraged, he went on with the other nipple. The caress sent her over the edge and she cried her orgasm out in a long growl that was coming from deep. He followed suit quickly, her satisfaction triggering off his own. He grunted in the kiss she was giving him while crushing her body against his own.
Appeased, they let it go for long minutes, in utter silence, except for the wild beating of their hearts. In the secret ravishment that only loving souls can feel, they dozed off in each other's arms.
An hour later, they came back to reality. Amelia rose from Severus' body and with wandless magic, she Summoned the first wand within her reach. The Ebony wand landed in her hand. Severus was surprised but he knew he could trust her. She would not harm him – he knew he had not hurt her this time, on the contrary, he had given her everything he had, even if it was not plenty in his own opinion.
She read the question in his expressive eyes. "Don't worry, Severus. No foolish wand-waving but just a few precautions. I don't want to become pregnant now." He got it and relaxed under her. She removed herself from him and whispered the contraceptive incantation. She showed it to him so that he may know about it too, in case she may forget later. Because she wanted to make love again with him. This too, she had to explain, as he was still so unsure, so insecure, so vulnerable, in his approach to intimate matters.
Which they did, a few hours later, during the night. They made love again, very slowly, very gently. Severus discovered he could be gentle and sweet – which was entirely new to him. He knew he could be caring. He had cared for so many years, for Lily's sake. He had cared about Amelia all these past months. But sweet and loving, that was different. And he loved that.
This time, Severus cast the contraceptive charm himself. Yet, it came to his mind that if he could care for the woman he loved, he could care for the family he may found with her too. He could understand her motives for not wishing to have another child so soon after her first baby. She surely needed time in this regard, besides all health considerations. Nonetheless, this was an idea that deserved to be pursued one way or the other.
Here we are, a bit of smut ! You all deserved it, after all this time support the fic. LOL As well as Severus and Amelia, they both deserved it, after all they've been through.
Surrender... I wanted to alarm my readers with such a title - would Severus surrender himself to the Ministry of Magic, for example ? No. Here he's only surrendering to Amelia, to love and to his feelings for her. And to his own - unsuspected - sensuality too. He can be tender and sweet when it counts.
I have reversed the parts here : he called her, though with humour, "Mistress". Amelia took the lead in lovemaking, as she is the one to know after all.
Hope you'll like the chapter. Please leave reviews !
