Serena stretched and rolled over in bed, smiling as a strong, heavy arm slid over her waist and held her against a warm body.

"Good morning," his deep, sexy voice murmured against her bare shoulder.

She grinned even wider.

"Good morning. Someone's in a good mood."

She hadn't opened her eyes yet, but she knew he was smiling into her hair.

"You look at lot less fierce when you're asleep, little witch," he murmured , nuzzling his nose into her ear.

Serena pulled a face. "oh god, don't tell me you've been watching me sleep? What is happening to you? You're becoming all soft and gushy."

Severus chuckled in her ear and she felt his lips nibble her lobe gently.

She smiled once more. It had been six days since she had left Grimmauld Place and moved back in with Severus. Her body had recovered nicely and she only had a potion to take before bed now. Severus seemed satisfied enough with her recovery, and had been teaching her to brew her elemental potion in the basement.

They had spent six days almost entirely in each other's company. Severus had had a lot of errands to run, but he had delegated to Elizabeth and had preferred spending time with her, it seemed.

She had written a few letters to the French Order and had visited Remus and Samuel twice, but she had been stubbornly avoiding the other Order members.

Her mind slid firmly off the Order as Severus pressed his hips into her naked bum and something hard and hot poked in between her legs rather unsubtly.

She stretched backwards and opened her eyes slowly, reaching a hand back over her shoulder and threading it through his long hair.

"Mm," she sighed, moving her legs to rock herself against his member.

Severus sucked her earlobe into his mouth now and she felt his hot tongue in her ear.

"I've been watching you all morning, witch," he said in a dangerous whisper, "thinking about what awful, dirty things I am going to do to you."

She felt a thrill run down her spine at his words and her body responded immediately.

When his warm, large hand reached around to expertly massage her breast, she let out a small moan.

"God how do you do that?" she sighed, arching into his touch and tightening her grip on his hair. "How do you turn me on with just your voice…"

In response, Severus began planting kisses along her neck and her eyes fluttered closed, revelling in the feeling of his wet lips on her skin. She let her own hand run down the side of his strong body, along his thin waist to his pointy hips and over the rump of his muscly arse to his thighs. Her fingers danced lightly in the black hairs on his leg before she lifted his thigh and pulled it over her hip, allowing him deeper access between her legs.

She heard a small moan against her skin and she felt another thrill of pleasure. She loved it when Severus couldn't control the sounds that escaped him. It made her feel powerful.

With her other hand, she reached down between her legs, over her bare mound, tracing a finger through her slick folds and down to grasp his hard cock that begged entry.

He let out another groan as she rubbed his head deliciously against her entrance, up and down, slowly coating his end in her thick juices.

"You will be the death of me, witch," he growled in her ear before squeezing her hip tightly and taking control. In a smooth movement, Severus pulled her back tighter against his chest and thrust deeply into her, filling her abruptly and completely, stretching her walls and forcing her body to accommodate him. It was her turn to groan with pleasure as he gathered her two hands and gripped them tightly against her chest as he withdrew slowly, almost completely, before thrusting smoothly back in to the hilt.

"Severus…" she sighed dreamily as his lips resumed their nips and kisses on her neck and shoulder.

She moved her hips back into him, matching his rhythm and squeezing her inside walls each time he pulled out.

Severus' hand came down between her legs and rubbed her perfectly, exactly where she needed it, pressing lightly with his thumb in arch-like motions around her clit, giving her just the right amount of friction to start the build towards orgasm.

She loved how he knew her body, she adored how he had learnt and fined-tuned his technique, drinking in and memorising her every response to ensure he gave her the most pleasure possible.

"God, you're so good in bed," she murmured, vocalising her thoughts and feeling his own spike of pleasure and pride at her words.

Feeling his emotions always pushed her to the peak faster. She could feel how he was completely immersed in the feelings in his body, how he, too, was close to orgasm, how his entire body was vibrating like a tightly-wound instrument, and as his thrusts became more erratic, his pleasure joined with hers and the cocktail of their emotions pushed her over the edge.

She came silently, feeling her walls clench and flutter around him as he continued his last few thrusts and spilled his hot seed inside her.

They panted together for long moments, sweat sliding between their bodies, until Severus pulled out of her and reached for his wand to clean up their mess.

She sighed and rolled over to rest her head on his shoulder.

"That's worked up an appetite."

"I can't stay for breakfast this morning, Albus is expecting me," he said quietly, kissing her forehead and then gently sliding out from underneath her. He stood up, completely naked, his wand in his hand and looked back at her, sensing the wary tension that had filled her at hearing that name. "He asked to see me," Severus explained in the same quiet voice. "I… I give you my word that I will relay everything he tells me to you."

She gave him a small smile and shrugged, "don't worry, you are allowed some secrets, you know."

"Well I don't have any," he said, his black eyes burning as he looked at her naked form on the bed. "Stay here, rest. I will have Elizabeth bring you breakfast."

She watched him head to the shower, enjoying this new equilibrium they had found in this dark new world.

After a hearty breakfast, Serena showered and settled down on the living room sofa surrounded by several books, including one from the top most section of Severus' library. She had been very careful when handling it, it was one of the darkest books he owned, and she took precautions to ensure the dark and the light in the room were balanced, settling neutral books around it on the coffee table to try and contain its power. Still, as she rolled up her sleeves and turned the first few pages, she could feel that luring pull, the dark taunting and pleading she had learnt to resist as a teenager.

She read quickly, skipping chapters until she found what she had been looking for, and scribbled notes hastily, wanting to put the book safely back on its shelf as quickly as possible.

When she had finished her research, she went through her occlumency techniques and then summoned her potions books from the laboratory.

Severus had gifted her with Potions for Beginners Grade Two, and she had already started taking notes on several techniques and useful healing potions in there.

It was almost midday when the fire activated and Severus stepped out. She watched him from the corner of her eye, trying to appear disinterested as he siphoned the ash from his black robes.

As he straightened up, he frowned and glanced around the room warily.

"Has something happened?" he asked, his eyes carefully surveying every corner of the room. He picked up the small foe glass he kept on the mantlepiece and looked into it, frowning.

"Don't worry, nothing is amiss, I just needed to read one of the darker books. The room was well-balanced and it didn't put up a fight, but I'm sure you can sense the awareness of all the other books just as I can."

His eyes pierced hers now, and she could see the curiosity behind them. "Which book? Why?"

"I've got questions first," she said firmly. "What did Albus want?"

Severus sighed and unfastened his cloak.

"He... He has decided I will teach Defence Against the Dark Arts this year..."

"What?" Serena cried, sitting up from the sofa where she had been reading her potions book. "DADA? You? Why? Why now?"

Severus raised a condescending eyebrow and sneered. "Well, if the job really is cursed and the teacher only lasts a year, I suppose it is of no consequence that I take the post in September."

Serena felt a flutter of fear inside her stomach, but she hid it well. "Don't be ridiculous," she said dryly, putting her book to one side and sitting up a little straighter. "He probably just wants someone who is capable, now that the war is really raging he's perhaps realised it would be a good idea if the kids really knew how to defend themselves," her tone was dry but inside she felt troubled.

"He has hired Horace Slughorn to teach potions."

"Never heard of him," Serena said, watching as he took his cloak off and sat down into his armchair. "Why he didn't just bring Remus back though, I mean, he hasn't been able to find a proper job in years, he was the only competent teacher they've had."

"And you expect Albus to set up a nursery do you?" Severus sneered.

"Well, a solution could have been found for Vinnie."

"The parents would never have allowed it."

"It's not the first time Albus would have gone against public opinion, and anyhow, choosing between an ex-Death Eater and a werewolf barely gives him the higher moral ground, does it?"

Severus glared at her.

"Sorry," she sighed, meaning it. "I am sorry, really, that was a cheap shot. I am happy for you, I really am, you're finally going to be able to teach the subject you want to, and you're actually going to be able to prepare these kids for what's out there."

Severus grunted.

"I suppose you are going to be spending the next few weeks until the start of term locked up and writing a new syllabus?"

Severus nodded. "I also…" he began slowly, dropping his eyes from hers, "asked for new quarters… on the same floor as the Charms Mistress…"

Serena couldn't help the grin stretching over her face.

"Oh… close to the Charms Mistress ey? And why on earth would you do that? I thought you hated everyone and anyone and preferred locking yourself deep underground."

"I don't know," he drawled, his eyes glittering. "She's got quite a nice arse, it makes up for her babbling mouth."

She threw her book at him and he caught it deftly, smirking at her now and clearly proud of himself.

"That will make things a lot easier for the two of us this year then," she smiled. "Although you won't have your secret passage for leaving the castle if you're summoned…"

"I will manage," he said curtly.

"And what about your lab for brewing?"

"I will brew here on the weekends when necessary. I negotiated three weekends off out of four, and no Hogsmeade visits of course."

Serena gaped at him. "As if you managed that! That's so unfair."

"Oh come now," he drawled, crossing his legs smoothly, "I am to kill the man, best have some advantages whilst I still can."

Serena scowled. "Ha… ha…" she said sarcastically at his tasteless joke.

He raised his eyebrows challengingly at her. "Now, my question," he said firmly. "Why have you been touching the darker books?"

"I needed to do some research about certain curses, including the curse my dear Father used on me… and, also because I would quite like you to start using the Imperius curse on me."

"Excuse me?"

"I need to learn how to resist it, Severus, you know I do. It's a weak point that was exploited once already. I know you can resist it, so I need to learn how."

She expected him to argue, to refuse to use unforgivables on her, but instead he gave a small nod. "Very well. We will begin on the weekend. You must let your mind and body heal further first. This afternoon, we shall brew."

The weeks leading up the start of term flew by. Both Severus and Serena were submerged by their projects, roles for the Order, and quiet preparations for the event they knew was to hit them at some point that year.

By the end of August, Serena could successfully brew her own potion, with Severus' supervision, and she had started to learn the Wolfsbane instructions too. Severus had admitted that despite her lack of learning, she was not, after all, as talentless as his students. Her and Severus trained together every other day, practising duelling techniques, healing spells, and fighting the Imperius curse or Veritaserum.

Serena spent a lot of time with Remus, Samuel and the two children too, especially when Severus sat down to work on his new school curriculum and sat buried in his notes for several hours at a time.

She had journeyed to France twice that month, and Severus, although he had been summoned regularly, had not come back too badly injured. Serena feared she was beginning to take their new rhythm for granted and was lulled into a false sense of security.

Of course, she worried every time his arm burned or he had to run errands for one of his masters, but she had stopped fearing he would never come back. So when, on the evening of the 30th August, as she was eating a last dinner at Grimmauld Place before heading to Hogwarts the next day, there was a loud crack, she didn't immediately think of Severus.

She turned her head, curious, just as everyone else, and found tiny Elizabeth, her ears flat against her head, her eyes filled with tears and her usually smart pinafore splattered crimson red with fresh blood.