Serena let her heavy bag drop to the floor of her quarters and she slumped down onto the sofa, letting all of the tension drop from her body. It was the twenty ninth of June, just four days until the seventh and fifth years sat their exams, and she had just come out of a two-hour meeting with the charms invigilators. It had been exhausting.

Serena was more confident than ever that the students were revising and preparing for their exams; especially for the practical ones, but the whole period just kept her on edge, feeling so much pressure for her students to succeed.

The week had been hectic, and that was an understatement. Severus had been summoned twice, although thankfully, he had come back each time unharmed. Serena had been holding extra study sessions every night, had been in Paris on Sunday, and babysat for Remus on Tuesday night as Albus was encouraging him to spend as much time with the werewolf pack as possible, with the aim of swaying their opinion as to the cause.

Most worrying of all, was that the curse in Albus' hand had now spread across most of his chest and was even creeping up his neck slightly, meaning that he had taken to wearing even more flamboyant scarves to try to hide the dark stain. Severus had spent hours pouring over his cauldron, trying to alter the strength and find a better balance, hoping to hold back the curse for a few more months.

Despite the dark curse slowly taking over his body, Albus didn't seem too badly affected, and often left the castle still, although no one knew where he went. Which reminded her, he was away tomorrow evening too, and had asked several Order members to patrol the castle as he usually did. She might try and ask Remus to dinner with her, before Albus left. At that thought, her stomach gave a low rumble and she checked her watch. It was eight o' clock, and she was starving.

Crack.

"Jesus!" she hissed, glaring at Elizabeth, who bowed low, her nose almost touching her tiny toes.

"I am very sorry, Mistress," the little elf squeaked. "I did not want to surprise you, Mistress."

Serena pressed a hand to her chest which was beating violently. "Not to worry," she said calmly, not wanting to give Lizzie a reason to punish herself. "What is it, Elizabeth?"

"I come with a message, Mistress," she squeaked proudly, straightening up and puffing out her chest, so the white towel she was wearing stretched tightly around her body. "Master Snape is waiting for you in his chambers, Mistress. It is an invitation, it is. And he is asking me to ask you to, er- look presentable, Mistress."

A smile crept on to Serena's face. What was Severus planning? "An invitation?" she repeated, supressing a grin. "Is that so? Well, you can tell Master Snape that I might come along, unless I have something better to do."

At this, the little elf's face dropped, and Serena chuckled. "It's just a joke, Lizzie, I'll be there in ten minutes."

The elf beamed at her, looking simply ecstatic, and apparating away with a surprisingly silent, pop.

"So you can be silent when you want to be?" Serena muttered, hoisting herself up from the sofa and padding into the bedroom, excitement settling in her stomach. Although they spent most nights in each other's company, reading, working or listening to music, they hadn't done anything special in a while, not being able to leave the castle grounds was rather problematic.

She stripped off, slipped on her sexiest white knickers and bra, sprayed a double-dose of deodorant and perfume, cast a hair-removal charm everywhere that needed topping up a bit, and then carefully chose a knee-length pastel blue skater dress. It said 'summer', but without being too offensive to Severus' eyes. Then, she topped up her hair and makeup, added a breath-freshening charm for good measure and made her way carefully up the corridor to Severus' rooms, a long, black cloak hiding her real outfit from anyone who might surprise her.

She tapped lightly on the door and was surprised to see Elizabeth open the door for her, looking simply ecstatic.

Serena raised her eyebrows and slipped inside his living room, pulling off her cloak as she went.

"May I take your cloak Mistress?" Elizabeth asked, practically bouncing from one foot to the other now.

Serena raised her eyebrows, she had been about to throw it over the arm of the sofa as usual, but she humoured the little elf and nodded, handing it over to her carefully.

"Master Snape is in the kitchen, Mistress."

"Hmm," said Serena, smoothing down her hair and checking her dress and heels before walking to push the kitchen door open.

She stopped in the doorframe and only her occlumency helped her keep her huge grin inside of her, only raising her eyebrows and pursing her lips on the outside.

Somehow, Severus' kitchen had been extended, twice its usual size, the left hand-side held the kitchen counters and appliances as usual, and the new right side had a small square table with a crisp white tablecloth, two candles, and a restaurant-like black serviette folded into a fan. The most impressive part of it all was Severus, sitting at the table with his back straight and his expression neutral, wearing a charcoal grey shirt tucked into black trousers.

She raised her eyebrows and couldn't help the reluctant smile which escaped from her.

"Are you proud of yourself?" she asked teasingly. "Pulling off a surprise like this?"

Smirking, Severus stood up and walked over to her, sweeping a lock of her hair behind her ear and pulling the lip she didn't even know she was biting out from between her teeth.

"You look beautiful," he murmured, swooping down and kissing her warmly.

When he drew back, his eyes were smouldering and Serena was sure she was grinning like an idiot.

"You really can be romantic when you want to, can't you?" she smirked, taking his hand and allowing him to lead her to her chair, which he drew back for her majestically.

"Don't insult me," he drawled, moving the chair closer to the table as she sat down and then taking a seat opposite her.

"What would Mistress like to drink?" a small voice squeaked from next to her knees.

She looked at Severus and burst out laughing. "Really? Elizabeth is our waitress for the evening?"

Severus raised one eyebrow and gave a jerk as if to say, why not? "The muggle and wizard restaurants seemed a tad risky, so…"

"So you thought you would bring the restaurant to Hogwarts?" she finished, beaming. "Well, it's not the worst idea you've ever had. I'll have a glass of red wine please, Elizabeth."

The little elf bowed low and turned to Severus.

"The same," Severus murmured, not taking his burning eyes off Serena.

She could feel herself blushing under his intense gaze, and looked away, noticing that Elizabeth had disappeared.

"How come she makes a right racket when she apparates around me, but around you she's as silent as a patronus."

Severus smirked and his eyes held some amusement. "Because I asked her not to make noise."

Serena faked a look of outrage. "Because that's something that needs asking? I mean, why would she not just be quiet in the first place? Honestly, she gives me a heart attack every time-"

She cut off as there was a faint pop and Elizabeth appeared, beaming widely and holding two glasses of red wine in one hand, and a bottle in the other. She placed everything on the table, gave a low bow and disappeared again silently.

Severus was smirking and Serena shook her head at him, laughing. "You're infuriating."

"Indeed," he murmured, taking his glass and clinking it with hers, maintaining eye contact intensely, and sending a tiny shiver of arousal down Serena's body.

"To your health," he murmured richly.

"And to yours, husband," she smiled back.

The wine was oaky and earthy and filled her with warmth.

"You look extremely handsome this evening," she smiled at him, and her foot moved to rest next to his under the table.

He didn't say anything, but she saw him swallow hard.

There was another tiny pop and the little elf appeared, balancing two large bowls of hot, steaming soup in her hands.

"Today's starter," she squeaked proudly, "is sweet potato and pepper soup. I hope it is to your likings!"

"It smells delicious," Serena said, breathing in the vegetables deeply, but Elizabeth had already gone. Serena guessed that Severus had warned her not to disturb them too much.

"How was your meeting this evening?" Severus asked her politely.

They discussed the upcoming exams and the invigilators over the starter, and when they had finished the two bowls disappeared magically.

Severus sat back in his chair, more comfortable now, and flicked his hand at the bottle of wine. They both watched as it topped up their glasses.

"I don't deserve you, you know," Serena smiled, feeling incredibly loved in that moment. "I was in such a miserable mood before, and then you fling this wonderful surprise on me, and I feel like… I dunno, I feel like I felt on our honeymoon… do you remember? That kind of carefree feeling that all that matters is our happiness and nothing else."

Severus gave a small nod.

"You realise we have been married for almost two years now?" she asked, unconsciously playing with the two rings on her finger. "And bonded for longer."

"The happiest two years of my life," he said in a voice so faint that she only just heard the words.

"Well, if you can enjoy these two years despite the war, summonings, kidnappings, murders, and a general forecast of despair, then I must be doing something right," she smiled.

His lips twitched. "Apparently so," he said smoothly.

"You've made me the happiest woman in the world too, you know," she said quietly, looking up at him from under her lashes and sending him a wave of love through their connection.

His cheeks turned slightly less pale and she was sure he was inwardly blushing too.

"Do you remember when you seduced me in your potions classroom?" she smirked, taking a sip of wine and thinking about the occlumency lessons they used to have together.

"I don't remember being the one who did the seducing," he retorted smoothly, his eyebrows raised.

"Oh you definitely were!" she laughed. "I was all helpless and out of control, and there you were with a wonderful solution, except that somehow you had to sit mere inches from me and place your warm hands on my face. I mean, come on, you can't tell me that was the only option. I could smell your aftershave! I could see every one of your luscious eyelashes!"

"Contact occlumency proved much more efficient in the circumstances," he countered quickly. "I can assure you, at the time my priority was staying alive. I would never have admitted it, of course, but you could have easily killed me with a burst of uncontrollable elemental magic like that, especially the fire."

"The fire was linked to passion!" she cried, thoroughly enjoying herself. "No passion, no fire!"

"And where on earth do you expect the passion to come from? Certainly not from me, witch, I was focussed on healing you, and stopping you from killing us all."

"Oh is that so?" she teased, "so you weren't the one to kiss me? I remembered that wrong did I?"

"You were sticking out your lips like a grotesque engorging charm," he retorted, his eyes sparking with life, "and I'd already seen you writhing about in your underwear in your head, you were begging for it!"

"Begging for it! I don't know about that!"

"And if I think back, the moment my lips touched yours, you practically jumped on top of me."

"Oh, don't exaggerate," she countered, trying to supress a smile, "I responded as any girl would respond when an older, more reputable, more powerful wizard kissed them."

"Ha!" he barked, "don't go playing the innocent, young witch card, you were anything but innocent, and if you hadn't set fire to my robes, merlin knows what you would have done."

"Merlin knows," she agreed, burning with arousal and amusement. They both looked at each other, a shiver of excitement running down their spines as they both imagined that kiss and what could have happened if it had continued.

"Ehem."

Serena jumped and Severus started as the little elf that seemed to have been standing in the room for quite some time coughed for attention, two plates of thai curry held in her small hands.

"Elizabeth," Severus said in a firm voice. "Could you please make some noise when you apparate and disapparate in and out of my quarters, please?"

Serena burst out laughing, uncontrollable giggles poured out of her mouth as she struggled to catch breath.

She brushed tears away as Elizabeth put down their plates and disappeared with an excessively loud crack.

"Oh my god," Serena managed, still crying with laughter. "Poor elf!"

Severus' face had stretched into one of the rare and precious smiles that made him look ten years younger and the sight of it made Serena's heart swell.

"Do you remember," Severus began in a deep voice, the ghost of a smile still present on his lips, "when you first came to my house?"

Serena smiled warmly as she tucked into the curry, mixing the rich sauce with some rice. "Of course I do, and it's clearly another example of your attempts at seduction."

He raised his eyebrows and put a forkful of food into his mouth gracefully. "Inviting you to a tiny terraced house in the rough end of London?"

"Inviting me into your home. Passing the secret of where you live on to me. And then accepting me in your living room full of these amazing books, and showing me your beautiful laboratory that took my breath away and made me want to learn to brew. And your deliciously hot shower, and your leather sofa, and coking in your kitchen-"

"That was your idea," he interrupted firmly.

"Yes, but you made it feel like I was at home," she said softly. "We were just friends back then, but… I felt so at ease in your company. Like I never had to try too hard."

"Well you were certainly trying hard that evening if I remember your outfit correctly," he said in a seductive voice, and she felt her cheeks grow warm.

"That was just a normal ball outfit," she protested softly. "It wasn't for you."

"The dance in the empty grounds was, though."

They looked at each other silently, remembering their gentle swaying along the castle walls. Serena in bare feet and Severus marvelling in the feeling of having a woman holding on to him. Again, Serena wondered what would have happened if Aberforth hadn't come running up the drive.

Severus took another mouthful of food, chewed it and then cleared his throat.

"So all those supposed attempts at seduction, and all it took was a careless brush of fingers."

She bit her lip. "Two months of me being miserable and suddenly I realised I was miserable because I was in love with you… And you… I was convinced that you hated me. Loathed me, even… I was so sure of it… We had everything all wrong, didn't we?"

Severus looked down at his plate and pushed his rice around with his fork. "I certainly did," he said quietly.

She shook her head. "If you'd have told me sooner, I think I would have run away," she said honestly, admitting the truth aloud to him for the first time. "Not because of you, but because the idea of a new relationship so soon would have scared me shitless. And we both know that when I'm scared I have a tendency of going into self-destruct mode."

"Understatement of the century," he breathed dryly, and she gave him a reproachful look.

"Anyway, my point is, yes, you were a totally dunderhead staying away from me like that, and it hurt so much, but in the end, it was sort of destiny. It couldn't have been any other way."

"I'd rather walk into the Dark Lord's lair than face a night like that one again."

She reached out over the table and squeezed his hand tightly, pushing away his emotions as they pulsed through her body.

"It's a good job we won't ever have to, then. Anyway, some of my favourite moments together were during those Christmas holidays, after we'd got together. Do you remember? I don't think I've ever spent such a long amount of time completely naked."

Severus spluttered on his wine and she laughed.

"I mean it!" she continued, "honestly, I felt like I was eighteen, we couldn't keep our hands off each other."

"We still can't," murmured Severus in what she deemed his sexy voice.

She put down her knife and fork and wiped her lips with her napkin. "No, that's true," she smiled. "And rather surprising, I do remember you telling me once that you were too old for me. What exactly were you referring to? Because when you're in bed-"

Crack.

They both pressed their lips together to stifle laughter as Elizabeth arrived with a second bottle of wine. She opened it with a click of her fingers, cleared their plates with another click and said dessert would be delivered shortly, before apparating away with another deafening sound.

"You must stop this dirty talk," Severus said slowly, but she felt a thrill of pleasure as his foot toyed with hers at his words. "It wouldn't do to be overheard."

"Of course," she said softly.

"So you are telling me," he began in a amused voice, "that your favourite moment was being naked in bed, rather than our soul bonding, or, I don't know, our wedding?"

She giggled and pressed a hand to her mouth to stifle the girlish sound. "Yes! And so what! I mean, our bond was incredible, it was like a dream. But by the time we got married, I already knew that we'd be together for the rest of our lives, and it was a bit stressful to be honest, so yes, I preferred those lazy mornings in your bed, exploring your wonderful body."

Severus, although he was trying not to show it, looked pleased with himself.

Crack.

"Lemon cheesecake, Master and Mistress," the little elf bowed, placing two crystal ramekins on the table. "I am bidding you a good night. When you have finished, the dishes will go back to the kitchens. If you is needing more wine, you may please call me anytime."

"Thank you, Elizabeth," Severus said in a low rumble.

"Yes, Elizabeth, everything has been amazing, thank you so much for helping Severus," Serena added.

The elf, who looked close to tears, bowed so low her nose almost touched the floor. "It is my pleasure, and I am very happy to see the Master and the Mistress so happy and in love."

Severus cleared his throat quickly. "That will be all," he said in a low growl, and, getting the message, Elizabeth apparated away for the final time.

"House elves," he breathed, taking a sip of his wine.

"Indeed," she smiled, tucking into her cheesecake. "Gosh, I haven't eaten this well in a while though, she really pulled out all the stops."

They ate dessert in a comfortable silence, and just as Lizzie had promised, the cutlery and ramekins disappeared when they had finished. The candles between them flickered softly and Serena found herself staring into Severus' handsome face. She looked at his thin lips and his over-large nose. She drank in his dark eyes and long, black lashes. His thin eyebrows and slightly greasy hair. He was perfect.

"Are you quite finished?" he snarled, interrupting her from her thoughts.

"Oops," she smiled wickedly, "I got carried away drinking you in."

He made a sound somewhere between a growl and a sigh, and she reached over and squeezed his hand again. "So, are we going for a run tomorrow morning to work all of this food off? Before your Slytherin common room stint and Potter's fiftieth detention?"

"We can," he said quietly, ignoring the comment about Potter.

"I'll pencil you into my diary, then," she said softly. "Thank you, Severus, for a wonderful evening."

"Who said it was over?" he said silkily, standing up and holding out his hand.

She was smiling widely as he led her into the living room, which was bathed in warm candlelight and smelt of cinnamon.

"Is that my guitar?"

"I thought you might play for us," he suggested quietly, sitting down on the sofa and pulling her next to him, an arm wrapping around her back snugly.

"If you want me to," she smiled. She settled back, half lying against Severus' side, her guitar across her lap. She chose one of her favourite songs and as she began to play quietly, Severus slipped a hand into her hair and began caressing her tenderly.

"Well I heard there was a secret chord,

That David played and it pleased the Lord,

But you don't really care for music, do you?"

Her eyes fell shut as she felt her body swell wonderfully with wine and love and music and in that moment she felt infinitely grateful for everything that she had.

"But remember when I moved in you,

And the holy dove was moving too,

And every breath we drew was Hallelujah,

Hallelujah

Hallelujah…"

When she had finished the song, Severus scooped her up in his arms and carried her to bed, echoes of Hallelujah playing in their minds as they undressed each other and made love as though it was the last time.