Round 9

THC

Ravenclaw, DADA

Standard

Fluff

(word) Happiness

(dialogue) "Well, well, what do we have here?"

WC: 1034

Comfort in Stormy Nights

Silence. Complete silence in the old manor house except for the regular ticking of the old grandfather clock. Rain was pouring down. The darkness of the old wood was only illuminated by the occasional lightning. Roaring thunder followed the flash of bright light shortly.

His gaze followed the long dark hallway all the way to the massive winged doors. Shifting his weight, he set his body into motion. His steps echoed through the dark hallway and the tapping of his walking cane matched the ticking of the clock.

Not letting the raging storm get to him, he continued his way forward. The wood cracked underneath his feet and red splashes decorated the oil paintings of his ancestors. Finally, standing in front of the winged doors he paused, for a moment waiting for them to open for him.

He slowly stepped inside. On the big leather couch near the fireplace was a cloaked figure sitting. "Well, well, what do we have here?"

Flinching, she nearly dropped the heavy book she was holding in her hands.

"Lucius! You've startled me."

A stubborn strand of soft curly hair was hanging into her face. Hermione readjusted the blanket she was wrapped inside. Shifting her weight, she struggled to free herself from her self-imposed prison.

Leaning forward, he wiped the loose strand of her soft hair out of her sight and tucked it behind her ear. With his thumb, he stroked over her cheek and brushed a kiss over her luscious lips.

Having freed her arm from the warm blanket, Hermione swung it around him, pulling him closer to her. She pressed her lips against his more firmly.

Hanging weirdly over the couch, it took Lucius a moment to find balance and not fall onto his petite wife. With closed eyes, he melted into her eager displays of affections. His tongue prompted her to open her mouth.

Skillfully ravishing her mouth, sweet cocoa favor stimulated his taste buds. Lucius massaged her tongue, drawing cute moans from the younger witch.

They separated to breathe and he let himself fall onto the couch next to her. Wrapping his arm around her, he pulled her against his strong frame. Licking over his lips, he savored the last bit of the chocolate taste that lingered in his mouth.

"Hot chocolate with little marshmallows," Hermione said proudly lifting the big mug from the coaster on the little table next to the couch. Her big brown eyes were looking at him full of anticipation as she offered him a sip.

He slowly took the cup out of her smaller hands and gave it a try. "Quite good." Lucius nodded.

Smiling, Hermione placed the mug back onto the coaster and snuggled up to her husband. She covered both of them with the warm blanket. Resting her head on his shoulder, she closed her eyes and inhaled his musky scent.

There was something soothing about lying in the strong arms of her husband especially on a stormy night like this, not that she would ever tell him. There was no need to further inflate his already enormous ego.

Lucius placed a kiss on the top of her head. "I had half expected you to be in bed already. Does the weather still bother you?"

"I'm just no longer used to sleeping alone. There's something missing if you don't have to fight for every inch of blanket space."

He let out a chuckle. "You're a bad liar."

"No, you're actually stealing my blanket all the damn time. Just last night my butt was hanging out half of the time." Hermione went quiet for a moment. "it doesn't bother me that much anymore. I mean being tucked away in a solid house with big walls isn't the same as sleeping in a tent out in the wild where enemies might lurk everywhere."

"Hm." Lucius shifted his weight and fished the heavy tome his wife had been reading out from underneath him. "673 Ancient Magical Ailments by Hadassah Shafiq from 1892 with comments by Marcus Lauren. Are you trying to bore yourself to sleep?"

"Hey, this is actually a rather interesting book especially if you cross-reference it with medieval texts. You can get a pretty good picture of how medical practices have changed over the centuries. Even Muggles tended to follow some of the advice given despite the fact that they couldn't do magic."

"What a peculiar witch you are." He smiled at her shaking his head. "On a different note, what happened to the portraits in the hallway?"

"Oh, that's just ketchup, it should come off easily with a wet cloth. Your ancestors happened to be rather rude. I thought they needed to be taught a lesson."

A low chuckle escaped his throat. "You do realize that portraits never learn?"

Hermione shrugged. "They still deserved it."

Opening the top buttons of his shirt, Lucius lied back. Hermione rested her head on his chest. Her head rose and fell with every breath he took and her bushy hair was tickling his nose. He made sure to cover her properly with the blanket so that even her butt was well and completely covered.

Her eyes fell shut and her breathing slowed down. It had gotten quite late. Lucius contemplated moving her over to their bedroom, but he didn't feel like standing up.

The business meeting had dragged on for longer than he had anticipated and after many hours of negotiating, it was time to celebrate the new agreement. Knowing that his wife didn't like it when he was out for too long and not wanting to find himself on the wrong end of the wand of a formidable witch, he took a hangover potion in advance.

He made an effort to sneak away from the first chance he got during the obligatory drinking binge so that she wouldn't have to be alone in the storm for too long.

Pouring like a cat, she was sleeping on top of him. He let his hand slide through her hair, slowly so as not to wake her up. Hermione looked so adorable when she was asleep. His heart was beating a little faster as he watched her. Was that how happiness felt like?