Disclaimer: None of the recognizable characters and settings belong to me. They are all the intellectual property of J.K. Rowling. I'm just playing around with them for the fun of it…no monetary gain is sought.

This story is dedicated to scattered logic for her cherished friendship and all her invaluable help. :

Chapter Forty Eight: Home

(This chapter has been slightly altered to better comply with stringent guidelines concerning sexual content. The unaltered chapter can be found on my homepage, which can be found via a link on my profile page here on fanfiction. Thank you for your interest. shadowycat)

Minerva and Albus appeared together by the gates of Hogwarts in the early afternoon. All was silent around them. A recent snowfall had blanketed the ground with a cover of white that was breathtakingly dazzling in the cold winter sunshine. Minerva took a deep breath of the crisp air and was grateful that Albus had brought her a warm cloak to wear, since her own hadn't left the castle when she had.

The castle itself glimmered and sparkled invitingly in the near distance, and they turned towards it and began to walk along the road that led to its door. Snow crunched loudly beneath their feet, and the closer they got to Hogwarts, the larger the lump in Minerva's throat grew.

It was so overwhelming to be back here again. She'd given up believing that she ever would be, and had mentally said goodbye to this life forever. Yet now, here she was on the grounds of Hogwarts, and everything appeared exactly the same as it always had. She could almost deceive herself into believing that everything that had occurred in the last week had never really happened at all. At least she could believe it here in the bright light of day, for suddenly she had an uncomfortable feeling that those shadowy events would likely haunt her dreams for many months to come. That sort of lurking horror thrived best in the darkness of the night, after all.

Dumbledore reached over and clasped her arm in his as they neared the inner courtyard. "Glad to be back?"

Dismissing her momentary fears with an exhalation of breath, she turned shining eyes his way. "Oh, yes. I can't tell you how happy I am to be back. I was so afraid that I'd never see any of this again. Thank you so much for everything that you did, Albus. I can never repay you."

Squeezing her arm happily, he replied, "You don't owe me any debt, Minerva. It was to my advantage to see you freed, you know. It's been terribly difficult managing without my Deputy Headmistress this week, and it would be so inconvenient to have to select another person to take over the job at such short notice. I'm afraid that you'll find a fair amount of paperwork waiting for you piled up on your desk."

A smile played with the corners of her lips, and she cast him an impish glance. "As I recall, I resigned my job here. I don't think I'm required to do any paperwork that's accumulated while I didn't hold the position. In fact, I still haven't been offered it back. As far as I'm concerned, I'm here for a visit only. There's certainly no work that I have to be doing at the moment. I'm currently unemployed."

The Headmaster responded to that statement with a solemn nod of his white head. "Ah, yes, I do seem to recall that you turned in your resignation. However, it's been so busy around here lately, what with the trial and the end of term, that I don't believe I ever got around to formally accepting it and taking you off the payroll. Your pay has been accruing throughout your little vacation, so I do believe that any work that's accumulated during that period of time would indeed be your responsibility."

Minerva laughed and shook her head, conceding him victory. "Well, I suppose it was too much to ask that I'd be able to walk away from this mess a completely free woman. Though next time, do insist that I pick a warmer spot for my "vacation", will you? I'm beginning to think I'll never be completely warm again."

"I shall indeed, and there's really not too much of a rush getting to the paperwork. After all, it's Christmas break. Most of the students are gone on holiday, as are some of the staff, though quite a few did remain to welcome you back." He smiled fondly at her.

Absently, she nodded, her smile faltering momentarily. "That's kind of them."

Christmas break. She'd forgotten all about the holiday. With everything that happened before she was arrested, she certainly hadn't done anything to prepare for it. With the exception of Irma's gift, she hadn't bought a single thing for anyone. That meant she'd have to go shopping…in public. Apparently, discovering how people would react to her acquittal would happen a bit sooner than she might have wished. Oh, well, she knew that she'd have to cross that bridge eventually. Sooner was as good as later, and it probably wouldn't be as uncomfortable as she feared. There was no point in borrowing any more trouble; it had been quite efficient about finding her all on its own lately, anyway.

As they continued up the roadway into the inner courtyard, Dumbledore spoke again, "I think Amelia was quite shocked by your report on Mr. Pitt and the way he's been running things out at Azkaban."

Minerva's expression turned grim. "Good. I certainly was. I hope she's shocked enough to take swift action against the lot of them. The behavior of those men is criminal. They all deserve to be behind bars themselves instead of being free to abuse those placed under their control."

"Now that she knows what's going on, I do think things will improve."

"They'd better," Minerva snapped. "I fully intend to keep an eye on that situation, and if something isn't done, both Amelia and Minister Gallagher might just find themselves having to make some very public explanations for the way they've let their prison be run. Somehow, I don't think that a prison scandal will enhance Gallagher's chances of keeping his position. Hopefully, he'll keep that in mind when looking into this travesty."

When they finally pulled open the castle door and walked together into the entrance hall, all was silent and still, save for the usual rustling whispers of the portraits on the stairs. Minerva thought fleetingly that it would have been nice to have someone there to greet them, though she had to admit that no one could have known exactly when they'd be arriving, and a welcoming committee might have been difficult to manage on short notice.

Wading through all the paperwork for her release and filling Amelia's ear full of eye-opening information regarding Andrew Pitt and his ghastly minions had taken rather longer than she'd thought it would. It was now approaching two in the afternoon; any sensible person would have long ago eaten their lunch and gone about their business.

They crossed the hall to the cloak closet and as Minerva handed Albus her cloak to hang up, she glanced around the empty room and asked, "Where do you suppose everyone will be by now?"

"Looking forward to seeing them all?" he asked curiously.

"Yes," she answered with a slight hitch in her voice. "Though, I think this first meeting might be a trifle awkward. However, I do long for life to return to normal and getting this over with is the first step towards accomplishing that goal."

Dumbledore nodded. "I can understand that. Actually, everyone who's still here should be waiting in the small private dining room behind the Great Hall. I told Filius to prepare a welcome home dinner for you there. As he's usually quite efficient about such things, I imagine that's where we'll find everyone at the moment."

"That was kind of you, Albus. I do hope that they haven't been waiting for too long. They're probably famished by now." Minerva smiled fondly.

"Well, then let's not keep them waiting any longer, shall we?" He extended his arm towards her, and she grasped it with pleasure and allowed him to escort her down the corridor.

As they approached the small dining room, Minerva's heart began to beat noticeably faster. Why should this homecoming be making her more nervous than her trial had? It was silly. Yet even as that thought crossed her mind, she realized that it wasn't the homecoming itself, or seeing all her colleagues and friends once more that was making her heart pound like this, it was the hope of seeing one particular person. Would he be waiting behind that door with the rest of them?

Standing back with a smile, Dumbledore gestured for her to open the door, so she did and entered the room to a chorus of good wishes and welcoming cries. Filius had outdone himself with the decorations, and the small room, lit with dazzling sunshine, was full of streamers and balloons and a huge banner that welcomed her home with colorful, sparkling lettering.

Her colleagues all converged on her at once, laughing and talking and vying for the chance to embrace her and tell her how much they'd missed her and how glad they were to have her back safely. Everyone wanted to be the first to talk and touch and, for a brief moment, she felt as if she were being smothered in affection. That feeling was particularly strong when Hagrid, managing to get in front of everyone else due to his sheer physical advantage, lifted her right off her feet with his enthusiastic welcome home.

When Poppy embraced her fiercely, she made a point of telling Minerva that Ian had never fooled her at all. He had such unpleasant eyes, you know. Obviously, he was a man who couldn't be trusted. Somehow, Minerva managed to hold back her instinctive reaction and merely thanked Poppy for her concern and agreed quite readily that Ian was not a man to be trusted.

Filius was his usual bouncy, effusive self and welcomed her back with such obvious delight that it brought momentary tears to her eyes. Though this horrible situation had caught everyone here by surprise, clearly they'd all supported her and had never for a moment thought her guilty of the crime that she herself had worried that she might have committed. Such steadfast belief in her innocence touched her very deeply.

She was especially pleased to find Arabella Figg here with the rest of them impatiently waiting her turn for a hug.

"Thank you so much for your help in court, Arabella. It meant a lot to me," exclaimed Minerva sincerely, when Mrs. Figg pulled back from a hug that, despite her somewhat frail exterior, proved absolutely that she could crack ribs with the best of them.

Arabella reddened in pleased embarrassment. "I just told the truth that's all, Minerva. Those Ministry fools should have known better than to accuse you of something like that in the first place. I always thought Amelia Bones had more sense, but I guess she wasn't much better than the rest of them. I'm just glad they saw the light before it was too late."

Minerva shivered. "Oh, yes, I am, too," she agreed with a smile.

When Arabella moved off to speak with Flitwick, Minerva suddenly found herself enveloped in a mass of feathers and scarves as Sibyll wafted closer and seized her in a surprisingly fervent hug.

"I just knew that things would work out well for you, Minerva. Your aura never dipped into the darkness but always remained bright and steadfast in my vision. That's an excellent sign, you know," she gushed.

Minerva spat out a mouthful of scarlet feathers and pulled back from Sibyll's arms, smiling a tolerant smile. "Thank you for the faith you had in me, Sibyll. I really do appreciate it."

Sibyll beamed benignly and moved away to let Irma have her turn.

Though Irma had already had a chance to congratulate her at the Ministry, she was still eager to give her another big hug and welcome her home.

Minerva smiled and thanked her friend once more. "I wouldn't be here without you, Irma."

Irma blushed in embarrassment. "I couldn't stand to think of what Hogwarts…or my life…would be like without you, Minerva. I just did the best I could. I'm so glad it was enough."

"It was wonderful, and so are you. Thank you." Minerva smiled at her friend and mentally thanked whoever was in charge of such matters that such a special person had come to care about her. Where would she be without her friends? It didn't even bear thinking about.

As she embraced Irma happily, she raised her eyes to the watching group and suddenly found her gaze caught and held by the intense dark eyes of Severus Snape. She could feel herself freeze up as a flush crept slowly up her throat to tinge her cheeks with warmth.

Until this moment, she hadn't been able to see him in the midst of the mob, Hagrid alone made quite an effective screen, but now that all of the others had had their chance to welcome her back, his turn was finally at hand.

Irma felt her friend stiffen in her arms, and she released her and turned to discover what or who had captured her attention and caused this sudden tenseness. The librarian suppressed a smile at finding Severus standing behind them staring at Minerva with a slightly nervous expression on his face. Of course, who else would it be?

Irma stepped out of the way, leaving Minerva and Severus facing each other as time seemed to hold its breath, and neither of them moved for a long moment. Minerva was sorely tempted to throw herself into his arms and kiss him passionately; even knowing that to do that would cause unbelievable chaos. He still looked quite tired, though nowhere near as haggard as he'd looked the last time they'd been together. Her release had apparently allowed him to finally get some much needed rest, and she was very glad of that. She'd been quite worried about him.

The spell of silence was abruptly broken as Snape stepped closer and smiled a slightly wintry smile while he extended his hand in welcome. With a soft sigh and a faintly disappointed expression on her face, Minerva reached out and clasped his strong, cool hand in hers, squeezing it hard while her eyes sparkled with hidden feeling.

"Thank you for all you did to help me, Severus. I understand that I owe my life to you…and Irma." Her voice shook slightly.

He squeezed her hand tightly in return and then released it with a casual shrug. "We did what we could. There was no doubt that you were innocent of such a crime. I'm pleased that we were able to prove that and get you released. Finding a new Transfiguration teacher at this point in the year would no doubt have been very difficult, and I certainly had no desire to assume any more of your duties as Deputy to the Headmaster. Especially not if he was always busy teaching your classes. Obviously, it was only practical to see that you were released so that you could resume these duties yourself."

She smiled happily at his rationalization for saving her life. "You sound just like Albus. Apparently, there must be an appalling amount of work waiting for me after a week's absence if you're both so eager to hand the job back to me. Still, I can see your point, but thank you anyway."

He inclined his head politely. "You're welcome."

When the silence stretched out between them once more, Dumbledore stepped up and clapped his hands as he directed everyone towards the table now laden with food.

"Ah, well, now that we've all had a chance to welcome Professor McGonagall back amongst us, it's time for a little feast. I see that the house-elves have outdone themselves as usual. Shall we?"

Everyone agreed that they should, and the table was quickly filled up with happy, chatting people, all awkward silences forgotten in the general euphoria of the moment.

Minerva was given the place of honor at the head of the table, with Albus seated at her right hand and Irma at her left. Severus took a seat at the far end of the table so that every time she glanced up, she couldn't fail to see him sitting there watching her silently. Without a doubt, it was one of the longest meals that Minerva could ever remember experiencing.

Just before dessert was served, Dobby popped up out of nowhere and whispered something quietly in the Headmaster's ear. The look of concern that immediately spread itself across his face caused Minerva's heart to jump up into her throat. What could possibly be wrong now? After Dobby left, she leaned closer and asked in a quiet voice, "What's wrong? What did Dobby have to say? Surely nothing else has happened?"

Dumbledore glanced around at the rest of the table, but from the level of conversation that was filling the air, it was obvious that no one else had noticed Dobby's furtive whisper, especially as his vanishing was accompanied by the appearance of a table full of succulent sweets.

As everyone began to fill their plates and continued to chat happily, the Headmaster leaned closer to Minerva and whispered, "The authorities just found Ian's body hanging from a tree on his own property. He'd been tortured to death."

Minerva couldn't quite suppress a faint gasp of shock, and her face lost all its color. "Oh, dear," she whispered back. "Do you think it was…Voldemort?"

"Very likely," murmured Dumbledore

Then, as another thought made her blood run suddenly cold, she added in a stricken tone, "The doubters will be certain that I'm responsible."

Dumbledore shook his head and patted her hand reassuringly. "No, my dear. His death apparently occurred sometime last night, while you were still in custody. No one will blame you for it. In fact, this may make it easier to clear your name even more definitively. An investigation may very well prove that he was attempting to flee, which could easily be twisted into an admission of guilt in Henry Grant's death. I don't think you'll have anything to be concerned about here. He's out of your life forever now."

She nodded slowly as that thought took hold. "Yes, he is, isn't he? I probably should be sorrier than I am that he's dead, but after what he put me through, I can't quite summon up any true sympathy for the man. He brought all this on himself, after all."

"Yes, he did," Dumbledore agreed quietly.

As she turned back to the table, Severus caught her eye and raised a questioning eyebrow. Not having any way to answer him from the other end of the table, she merely smiled a slightly uneasy smile and allowed herself to be drawn back into conversation with her nearer neighbors.

Once dinner was finally over, Minerva found herself becoming more and more impatient to get away from everyone. At this point, the only person whom she wanted to talk to was Severus, and she couldn't do that until all these other well meaning people simply went away and got back to their own lives. However, since everyone was on holiday at the moment, no one appeared to be in any hurry to leave, and as the guest of honor, she couldn't seem to find an opening to suggest that enough was enough.

Finally, a couple of people did leave, wishing her well once more and finding reasons to take themselves away. Unfortunately, one of those who left was Severus. As the door closed behind him, she knew that her expression took on a gloomier cast.

A soft voice spoke low in her ear, and she turned away from contemplating Severus' exit to find Irma clutching her arm and speaking earnestly to her.

"That man loves you, Minerva. No matter how much he protests that he did everything just to save himself from an extra workload, that's far from the truth. He was completely driven to save you from the moment those two horrible men dragged you out of the castle. He barely ate or slept while you were gone, you know. I don't know what he'd have done if we hadn't found that spell. He was absolutely desperate by the time we did."

As Minerva opened her mouth automatically to reply, Irma held up a hand and shook her head. "I know, I know, neither of you will ever admit it to me, but I'm not quite the fool you both seem to take me for. He loves you. I'm absolutely certain of that, and what's more, I think you love him, too. So don't waste your breath denying it."

Minerva's expression softened, and she shook her head, replying with a faint touch of amusement in her tone, "All right, I won't. I do love him. Obviously, you were able to see that even before I was. I don't know if he returns those feelings or not, Irma, but I'm simply going to have to find out."

Irma smiled reassuringly. "You have nothing to worry about, Minerva. He does return them. I'm positive he does."

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It was another hour before the gathering truly broke up. Minerva fully intended to go directly to the dungeon once she could escape. By this point, she was fairly desperate to speak to Severus alone, but the well meaning Flitwick insisted on escorting her up to her room. In the end, she figured that it would be easier to simply go along with him and then go back down to the dungeons once he'd finally left her to herself. If he ever did.

When they got to her door, she was certain that he was quite prepared to simply follow her inside and keep on talking, but she cut him off, pleading exhaustion, which was the absolute truth. Between the mental turmoil of her vindication, her telling Amelia Bones just what was what at the prison, and this interminable get together with the staff, she was suddenly feeling completely done in. By now, she didn't even think she'd have the energy to go down to try to find Severus. All she wanted right this instant was some peace and quiet and maybe a quick nap in a real bed without lumps.

As Flitwick headed off down the corridor with a cheery wave, Minerva turned away with a sigh of relief and opened the door to her room. Once inside, she gazed around in awe. All of her belongings were back in their proper places. Nothing was so much as a millimeter out of place; it was almost as if she'd never packed them up for storage at all. What the heck was going on?

While she stood there and stared around her with a puzzled look on her face, Snape rose from his seat by the fireplace and addressed her, making her jump slightly and turn to him in surprise. How had she missed seeing him sitting there?

"Well, that took longer than I expected. Let me guess, Flitwick, having not had the chance to bend your ear for a full week, was intent on making up for every lost moment."

She smiled fondly at him. He looked so wonderful standing there. "Just about. Once everyone else had finally decided that they had other places to be, he still insisted on walking me back to my rooms. He's a dear man, but I've never met anyone who loves to talk as much as he does. He'd have followed me inside if I hadn't pleaded exhaustion. Which wasn't much of an exaggeration, actually."

Snape nodded but didn't reply and a pregnant silence filled the room as they just stood there and looked at each other.

Finally, Minerva spoke again. "What brings you here? I assumed that I'd have to come down to the dungeon to find you."

Pleased to think that she had intended to do just that, Snape allowed himself a small smile of satisfaction as he reached into his pocket and withdrew her wand. Stepping towards her, he held it out.

"I wanted to return your wand. I thought you might need it back as soon as possible."

"Oh," she exclaimed softly, as she closed the distance between them and took the polished wooden rod from his hand, clasping it tightly once more; she relished the feeling of possessing it again. "Thank you. I'd almost forgotten that you still had it. I appreciate you keeping it safe for me."

He nodded. "You're welcome. I was…glad to help."

As she slid the wand into her pocket, patting it nervously, she extended her other hand and indicated the well-ordered room. "Did you do all this, too?"

A slightly arrogant expression crossed his features as he snorted in amusement. "Of course, not. I wouldn't have even known where to begin. I did tell the house-elves to do it though. Since they keep it all clean and tidy, I figured they'd know as well as anyone where everything belonged. I thought you should come home to quarters that looked as if you'd never left them."

Touched by his thoughtfulness, she nodded and blinked back sudden tears as she glanced around her welcoming rooms. "Home," she whispered softly. "Yes, I am finally home. There were times when I never thought I would be again."

Abruptly, she cleared her throat and raised her head, banishing the tears and smiling at him. "Thank you. That was very kind of you."

"Not at all. Now, tell me, what caused you to go so pale before dessert downstairs. Don't think that I missed Dobby's quick whisper to the Headmaster, or your reaction to whatever he told you. Has something else gone wrong?"

She sighed. "Apparently, Ian was murdered during the night. They found his body sometime after court was dismissed this morning."

Abruptly filled with a tense alertness, Snape raised an eyebrow and chose his words with care. "Well, I certainly can't say that bothers me very much. That man deserved to die for what he did to you. Do the authorities know who killed him?"

Sudden suspicion chilled her heart, and a faint shadow flitted through her eyes. "I don't know. Albus and I assumed that it was Voldemort. Do you know if that might be true?" Despite her fears, she couldn't bear to simply ask him if he'd been involved in any way.

Shrugging his stiff shoulders casually, Snape answered in a carefully neutral voice, "It certainly could be true. As we both know, the Dark Lord is neither a patient nor a forgiving person. Standish had failed in his objective of getting you convicted of murder and stealing your estate. That was quite obvious from the way court was dismissed yesterday. If the man was foolish enough to try to pack up and leave last night instead of trying to stay and bluff it out, that would be all the excuse that Voldemort would need. You don't make promises to him that you can't fulfill and expect to walk away unscathed."

Minerva watched him with assessing eyes. She knew what kind of a man Severus Snape was…knew the bad as well as the good, and she loved him anyway. But did she really want to know the extent of his involvement in Ian's death? Ian was dead. There was no changing it now, and if she examined her own feelings closely, she had to admit, as uncomfortable as it made her, that she wasn't sorry he was gone and could no longer plague her life.

She was alive, and so was Severus, and she wanted him in her life more than anything, whether he had any involvement in Ian's death or not. Ian had brought his fate on himself with all his lies and maneuverings. Now was the time to put him and everything about him aside and let it go.

Minerva smiled up at Severus and nodded her head. "I suppose you're right," she agreed.

Pleased to have escaped that trap so easily, Snape smiled more comfortably and stepped closer, raising a hand to lightly caress her cheek. "Of course, I am. I believe we'd established that fact before, as well as the fact that you should listen more closely to my advice."

Her cheeks flushed at his touch and the sudden warmth coursed down through her body, filling her with a sharp, aching desire for him.

Snape continued softly, "In fact, now that you're back at Hogwarts once more and free to do all those things that you worried that you'd never have the chance to do again, it's my opinion that you shouldn't waste any more time before indulging yourself."

"You're right again," she said with a smile, as she laid a gentle hand on his waist and slid it possessively around his body.

Snape's smile broadened as his arms began to encircle her in return. "We could begin by reinstating our arrangement…" he murmured warmly.

Her smiling eyes, turned suddenly serious, and she reluctantly shook her head, causing him to freeze in place in the act of pulling her against him.

"I don't want an arrangement with you any longer, Severus," she whispered softly.

His heart constricted violently and a faint buzzing began to fill his head. Was she really going to reject him? After everything they'd been through? After everything she'd come to mean to him?

Instinctively, he settled his usual cold mask back over his features and began to pull away, but she grabbed onto him more firmly and held his now rigid body in place against her own, staring deeply into his suddenly wary eyes.

"Please, don't misunderstand me," she pleaded earnestly. "This horrible ordeal has taught me a very important lesson. Taking anything or anyone for granted is an incredibly foolish mistake. Because it can all vanish from your arms in an instant with no warning at all. I just can't go on pretending that I don't…" She took a halting breath before forcing the words out in a rush of feeling.

"I love you, Severus…very much. I don't want an arrangement any longer. I want a relationship…a real relationship. It doesn't have to be a public one, of course. Our circumstances haven't changed, but I want the time we spend together to count for something. I need to know that it matters. Casual sex is simply not an option for me any longer. I've come to care for you too much, and it's past time that I admitted that to you…even though I realize that you might not feel the same way."

Silence hung heavy in the air and she stood frozen in his arms, hoping that she hadn't made a horrible mistake by finally admitting how she felt about him, but she really hadn't had any other choice. Going on as they had before just wouldn't have been right. She loved him, and she needed him to know that. Just as she needed to know how he felt about her in return.

Snape's body relaxed fractionally in her embrace, and he raised a hand to her face once more, caressing her cheek gently. The smile that abruptly broke through the mask was very tender, though there was a slightly nervous cast to his eyes.

Finally, he said, "Well, if we're admitting the truth about our feelings, which isn't something I've had any practice at, you understand, I… I love you, too. I never thought I'd care this much about anyone, but when I was faced with the grim reality of losing you forever, I knew that it was the one loss that I just couldn't face. Don't ever leave me again, Minerva..." His voice trailed off with a harsh edge of deep emotion that cut into her heart.

As she heard that note of pleading in his tone, she longed to tell him that she wouldn't ever leave. For in truth, there was nothing she wanted more than to stay in his arms forever, but she couldn't force herself to make a promise that they'd both know in their hearts she was unlikely to be able to keep. Forever was a very long time. So instead, she simply slid her arms around his neck, buried her fingers deeply in his dark hair, pulled him tightly against her and kissed him as passionately as she was able.

He returned her kiss with a desperate intensity. Both of them put every ounce of the consuming passion that they'd been holding inside for so long into one deep kiss that had them both gasping for breath when they finally parted.

Then with a sudden, short laugh of triumph, Snape scooped her up into his arms and whirled around, heading for the bedroom with a distance eating stride.

"Severus," she gasped as she clung to him tightly, having been caught unaware by his impulsive actions. "What are you doing?"

"I think we both know where this is headed and, frankly, I vastly prefer the feeling of a well cushioned bed beneath me when I make love to you again over the dubious comfort of a sofa or worse yet…a hearth rug."

With a pang, she remembered the horrible shape she'd been in the last time they'd been in each other's arms when, even if they'd had the privacy or the time, she doubted that she'd have been able to make love to him. Since location had never seemed to matter to him before, she had a feeling that he was being unusually solicitous of her due to her recent ordeal. Deeply touched at that thought, she simply smiled and tightened her arms around his neck as he carried her over the threshold into her bedroom, taking his actions as a sign that he really did love her.

Gently, he laid her down on her bed and joined her there to kiss, touch and caress her lovingly. Undressing took a fair while, but it had never seemed quite as enjoyable as it did this time. Her fingers eagerly sought to slip every button through its hole, knowing that each time she did brought her closer to touching the man beneath, something she'd dreamed about every night they'd been apart.

Together, they turned the act of discarding clothing into a ritual of rediscovery. Peeling off layer after layer of heavy material to slowly reveal the desired skin hidden beneath. Fingers whispered over warm curves and angles, lips brushed against delicate flesh, leaving tingling paths in their wake and reawakening feelings that each had put aside, unsure of ever being able to own them again.

Once they were both naked in each other's arms, he slowly began to re-explore her body with his lips and tongue. Sucking passionately on the soft skin at the crook of her neck, kissing the delicate and sensitive flesh inside her elbow, tasting each finger in slow and sensuous detail while she moaned and closed her eyes, relishing his touch and the warmth of his body against her own. His hands cupped her breasts gently and softly caressed them with his fingertips as his lips moved from one to the other sucking in the erect nipples and sending waves of pleasure flowing outward through her being.

The hands that had been caressing her breasts now slid around her and pulled her tightly against his chest as he raised his face to hers to kiss her passionately once more. Their arms tightened around each other, pulling themselves as close together as two solid forms could get. During the time she'd spent in prison, her skin had felt stiff and frozen, ice coated and numb to sensation. Now, as his strong hands glided possessively over her body once more, life returned in the warmth that exuded from his fingertips.

Severus pulled pins from her hair and tossed them carelessly aside. Then he ran his fingers through the heavy mass, sliding them through the tangles and enjoying the feeling of the long strands as they slipped easily against his skin. Released from its confinement, her glossy dark hair fanned out across the snowy pillow as she bent her head back and sighed in contentment. Her pale skin glowed as the last of the day's dying light shown in the tall windows, edging her body with a faint whiteness that slowly faded away into a quiet gray. Long shadows banded both of their bodies in the dimness. Vision temporarily faded with the last of the light and was replaced in importance by touch and taste and scent.

Once their union had been lovingly reaffirmed, exhaustion crept up to claim them, as the events of the past week finally caught up to them both. Severus reached down and pulled the comforter that was piled at the foot of the bed up and over the two of them, letting them give in to their bodies and nestle together to drift off into a contented sleep.

Sometime later, Minerva opened her eyes abruptly. She lay quietly, unsure for a moment just what had awakened her. The room was very dark save for the long rectangle of pale gray that indicated where the window was. The moon had moved beyond where it could peer into her room, and now its faint glow simply lightened the darkness and gave shadows a pale substance against the inky background of night.

Gradually, she became aware that a hand was moving very slowly up along the flesh of her thigh, spreading a comforting warmth across her abdomen and pausing to caress the curve of her breast with a feathery touch. Happiness flooded through her. She was home. In the safety of her own comfortable bed, and she wasn't alone.

In the near silent darkness, a heavy living thing all on its own, she could lose herself in all the sensations that she'd been deprived of for what seemed an eternity. Turning to the side, she could barely make out the silhouette of a dark head on the pillow next to her own. A gleam of eyes watched her and, as they noted her wakefulness, the body they belonged to shifted closer.

Warm lips grazed her shoulder gently and began to nuzzle into her neck. "Did I wake you?" his low voice inquired unnecessarily, since they both knew that he had.

She smiled into the darkness and turned away from him, reaching for her bedside table. Since the house-elves had put everything else back, she was quite confident that she'd find what she sought there, and, indeed, she was able to wave a hand over a candle that stood ready on the bedside table, bringing it flaring to life.

Then with a mischievous smile on her lips, she lay back and turned her head to face her lover. "As a matter of fact, you did wake me. Not that I'm sorry, mind you."

He smiled in return and reached for her, intending to pull her against him once more, but her voice stopped him.

"You know, Severus, I just remembered something that I'd meant to bring up with you."

He raised an eyebrow and propped himself up on an elbow facing her. "Oh?"

"Yes, as I came through the entrance hall on my return to the castle, I noticed that somehow Gryffindor House is now down 200 points from where it was when I left slightly more than a week ago. That seemed like rather a lot to me for such a short span of time."

There was a moment of silence as they looked at one another, then Severus lay back flat on the bed and turned his head towards her, pasting an innocent expression onto his face. "Really? I hadn't noticed. That does seem like a large drop. I wonder what could have caused it?"

"Perhaps someone was taking advantage of my absence," she suggested with a raised eyebrow.

Severus pretended to consider the matter carefully. "I suppose your students might have been a bit less well behaved without you here to watch over them. Students are likely to take advantage of such things. You know that old saying…when the cat's away, the…rats…will play."

Minerva's eyes sparkled, but she forced a frown. "Hmmm, I was thinking more along the lines of…when the cat's away, the…snake…will play, actually."

Severus rolled onto his side to face her once more and smiled an innocent smile as he pushed the comforter aside and ran a slow finger down the length of her chest, between the twin mounds of her breasts, making her shiver once more with desire for him.

"Really? But Minerva…" His voice was a seductive whisper.

Slowly, he bent down and kissed her shoulder with lingering lips.

"When the cat's away…"

His mouth moved down to the flesh of her nearest breast.

"There's no one for the snake to play…" He sucked her nipple gently into his mouth and released it. "…with."

Minerva smiled and rolled towards him so they lay face to face. "Well, then I guess the cat will have to stay right here from now on, won't she?"

Severus smiled an answering, knowing smile. "My thoughts exactly…" he murmured in satisfaction. Then he reached over and drew her body against his own again for one more long, lingering kiss.

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Author's Note: Thank you so much to everyone who's read and commented on this story, especially to those few who have been so regular and generous in sharing their thoughts and opinions. I hope that you've enjoyed reading the story as much as I've enjoyed hearing from all of you.