His eyes opened to the soft light of the sun peeking through the heavy bedroom curtains. Deep, even breathing, and a warm body stretched beside him reminded him he wasn't alone in a place he was almost always alone.
Well, Severus, congratulations. You've done the impossible and managed to get yourself into a rather complicated web of impropriety. Well done, indeed.
He had to admit – of the few women he'd actually trusted enough to fall asleep beside over the last fifteen years or so, Selene was, by far, the most comfortable bed partner. Instead of stealing blankets, clinging to him in her sleep, or managing to contort herself in such a manner that she could suffocate him with her thick black hair, Selene had simply stretched her limbs, kissed him softly, and curled under the covers beside him. Not against him. Not in any way on him. Beside him. And hadn't stirred once in her sleep.
It was by far the best night's sleep he'd gotten in the last week. Which, considering he was sharing his bed with another person entirely, and not considering the circumstances of the lack of decent sleep in that same time frame, was high praise indeed.
Knowing it was unlikely that Selene would wake before closer to sunset, Severus shifted in the bed, slowly and discretely rising, grabbing his trousers and pulling them on, searching for his white linen shirt. As he snatched it from the floor, her hand moved along the bedding, towards where his body had been seconds before, but rather than awaken in a possessive fury or confused state, she instead pulled his pillow closer to her, never once approaching wakefulness.
Breathing a sigh of relief, he crept from the room and down the stairs, barefoot and bare-chested, the shirt still clenched in his hand. He had a plethora of thoughts running through his head, and one was foremost in his mind.
He needed coffee.
The clock on the living room wall told him it was practically noon, which, given the lateness of the hour in which he finally fell asleep, didn't surprise him much. The faint pounding in his temples was punishment enough for sleeping so late, even if he'd gotten his usual six hours of sleep. He'd never, in his entire adult life, been able to sleep much past sunrise without the penalty of a headache.
Coffee finally in hand, Severus took a large roll from the breadbox and collapsed into the worn, unfashionable oversized chair in the living room that he often preferred to the couch. As the pounding receded in his head, he reflected on the night before. And the impending consequences.
Because, no matter what was going on in either of our minds, there will be consequences.
Not necessarily bad ones.
Like hell. I slept with a colleague. Just wait until McGonagall hears about this one. Bad enough the lectures I used to get about proper conduct outside of the school my first few years teaching. I think I'll take a trial with the Wizengamot to the inevitable lecture she's bound to feed me after this.
And you honestly think Selene is indiscrete enough to say something to anyone at the school, let alone McGonagall?
Well, no…
The only way anyone learns about this is if the two of you let them know. And frankly, the pair of you are both mature and discrete enough to carry on an affair without alerting the entire faculty to the fact.
An affair…?
Did you assume this would be for only one night?
I hadn't thought about it, actually.
Well, is that what you want? To let it be one night and to part company? To leave this entire situation confined to what's already been done?
He couldn't answer his conscience.
If he was completely objective, something Severus Snape prided himself on being able to accomplish on regular occasion, the night before with Selene was probably the most honest sexual experience he'd had in years. Unlike the few lovers he'd taken since the war ended, Selene was neither controlling nor reluctant. Once she'd let down her guard and set aside her objections, of course. Which, all told, he could hardly fault her for.
Merlin knows the maneuvering I did to hide the damned mark from her…
In fact, once she'd been convinced he wasn't going to spurn her or fear her for what she was, Selene had surprised him with her openness. Unlike the courtesans he'd patronized, no matter how expensive their fees, Selene's interest wasn't feigned. As she herself commented in a low whisper at one point in the evening, vampiric empathy was occasionally a blessing.
He'd been forced to agree.
It was more than that, though. More than the sex itself. It was the sensuality of the moment. He wasn't used to eye contact as anything more than control or scrutiny. He wasn't used to a touch being soft rather than harsh. And beyond everything else, he sure as hell wasn't used to the trust she'd handed him.
Maybe you owe her a debt of gratitude. The great Severus Snape rediscovered his humanity. Will wonders never cease. Maybe you should let this drop to McGonagall after all. She'd declare it a bloody miracle.
Go to hell.
The coffee warmed him as he swallowed the rest quickly, his skin still chilled by the cold air. A moment's concentration brought the fireplace to blazing life, the logs within charmed to never completely burn away. He wanted a shower more than anything on earth at that moment, but he didn't want to risk waking her. She needed her sleep. Despite the night before, she was still his patient, after all. Dumbledore had made it clear that her well-being was in his hands. Which just made the entire situation that more complicated.
As he leaned back in the chair, contemplating what to do next, he caught the faint scent of jasmine clinging to him still.
Damn again.
A loud purring and a gentle thump at his knee warned him of the kneazle's intrusion.
"I assume you want to know that she's fine, well, alive and in one piece, and simply sleeping."
The feline had the audacity to nod.
Bloody hell. How do you explain to a feline-kneazle halfbreed pet that you slept rather inappropriately with its mistress?
"She's fine. Well. Alive. In one piece. And sleeping, last I knew."
Galileo climbed up into his lap, purring louder, turning three times before settling down, curling head-to-tail, eyes closing in slumber.
What the hell do I do now?
Stretching underneath sheets that felt nothing like the ones that dressed her bed, Selene opened her eyes quickly, shaking away the cobwebs of sleepfulness. The feel of the linen sliding on her skin gave her the physical confirmation of the mental question.
She almost wished it hadn't.
Last night hadn't been a dream after all.
Could you possibly have made this already-overcomplicated situation any worse, Selene? Oh, no. Not at all. What – he stops you from falling because you're too stubborn to heed his comments about the dizzy spells and the side effect of all the potion you've been pouring down your throat the last few days, you smell his cologne, and you lose every bit of common sense and composure you may have possibly still possessed? I'd ask what you were thinking, except it's painfully obvious you weren't.
You're not being fair to yourself at all. There were two in this bed last night, if you'll recall. And sure, you may have been foolish and kissed him, but he didn't exactly shy away from it. You didn't make him follow you from the hallway, remember.
What the hell do I do now?
Well, first you decide how to handle this. You can either be completely apologetic and embarrassed, or you can hold your head high, and keep your dignity.
After last night, I think I lost all claim on dignity.
Caesar's ghost! You act like you've never taken a lover before in your lifetime.
Well, it has been a while. Nigh on what, eleven years? Twelve?
And whose fault is that?
Oh bugger off!
Of all the things Selene needed at that exact moment in her life, a lecture from her conscience was not on the list.
A shower. Coffee. Maybe a light dinner. Definitely some clothing…
Groaning, she rolled over in the bed, burying her face into the pillow next to her, trying to hide from the inevitable.
The scent of cloves overwhelmed her.
Bollocks. Damned pillow. Why do you have to smell like him?
Probably because he slept on it?
Shut up, damn it!
Tears of frustration pricked her eyes, and she sat up in the bed, pulling the sheets to cover herself, just in case he would manage to choose the absolute worst timing in history and walk in before she'd managed to pull herself together.
Well, won't Claudius be overjoyed when he finds out whose bed his baby sister's been sleeping in these last few days?
Claudius doesn't have to ever know.
Claudius better never find out. For everyone's sakes.
Would he really object?
Well, let's see. Baby sister sleeps with the second-worst possible adult male at her place of employment. After several letters, growing increasingly indiscrete, pleading with said baby sister to quit her career and come home out of familial loyalty. Oh sure, he'll just turn a blind eye to that one, no problem. Right. And Umbridge will nominate me for professor of the year as well, complementing my darling fangs in her speech.
Glad to see you haven't let go of your sarcasm.
Didn't I tell you to bugger off?
The voice receded.
Selene stared into space, her mind reeling. Just because it'd been more years than she cared to recall since the last time she'd even trusted a man enough to hold her hand, let alone sleep beside throughout the night, didn't mean anything. Did it? Or did it mean more than she wanted it to?
She hadn't meant to let her guard down. She hadn't meant to let him in. She hadn't meant to act on every impulse and desire that she'd been suppressing for Merlin-only-knows how long. She'd said 'weeks' last night. Now, she wasn't entirely sure 'weeks' did the longing she'd felt growing inside her enough justice. But it had to have been. The pair had barely spoken more than a dozen words to each other prior to the infamous pranks from earlier in the term. She could probably count on one hand the number of times they may possibly have encountered each other without anyone around before this school year.
It had to be 'weeks'.
Didn't it?
Her heart leapt to her throat as she heard the downstairs door open slightly, but the soft thumps on the staircase told her it wasn't the man coming up to see her. Sure enough, the creak of the not-quite-shut bedroom door exposed a grey bundle of fur, which bounded up onto the bed, whiskers and fur and a cold nose nuzzling her extended hand.
Galileo purred under her touch, turning and stretching as she petted her.
"Where have you been, mea gatta?"
The kneazle turned to look at her, the eyes filled with wisdom beyond a simple housepet's sphere of knowledge.
Her smile faded. "Is he downstairs?"
Galileo nodded.
Selene groaned. "This is the part where my pet tells me I was completely stupid last night, isn't it?"
This time, the kneazle shook its head.
Her jaw dropped.
"Are you saying you approve?"
Instead of responding, Galileo shifted on the bed, curling on Severus' pillow, the scent of cloves wafting upward as she settled down, giving Selene a curious stare before closing her eyes.
Could my pet be any less vague?