A/N: Hello, dear readers. Some obvious sexual situations arise in this chapter, so you're warned. Nothing too graphic, I believe. As always, enjoy.
Morning After
When Severus woke many hours later, he found himself alone in bed. Sighing inwardly, he tried to keep his disappointment at bay, but he found himself failing at it spectacularly. He had thought for sure he'd wake up still holding Aurora in his arms, spooned up against her warm body—her back to his chest, shorts to sweatpants. But she had run again.
Shaking his head, he decided not to dwell on it anymore. It wouldn't do any good anyways. What more could he do for her than he had already done? She still wasn't ready for that step in their relationship. Throwing off the black satin sheet, he rolled himself out of bed and walked barefoot across the cool stone floor towards his bathroom. He may as well have went on with his day, he decided.
Re-emerging a few minutes later while still drying his hands from after washing them, he stopped when he saw the dark silhouette in his bed. His eyes narrowed, and his brows furrowed. She had returned to him? Or was he, in just a pair of loose sweatpants, wandless, about to be hexed by some unknown (and highly unlikely) intruder?
"Aurora?" he hesitantly called out before he waved a hand at one of the nearby torches and lit it magically. He forced a laugh of astonishment when he saw her looking back at him, holding two steaming cups in hand while still in her tank-top and shorts she had gone to bed in. She was sitting with her back against the headboard, her legs curled underneath her.
"I thought we could have some tea together before I head back," she explained quietly. She was biting her lower lip again. A nervous tic of hers he had noticed awhile back.
He nodded slowly. "That sounds wonderful." He returned to her, grabbing the cup from her before he slid back into bed beside her.
"I didn't know how you take yours, so if it's wrong . . ."
He waved her worry away. "I'm certain it's fine whatever you chose." He then took a sip, nearly coughing. If there was one kind of tea he hated the most, chamomile was certainly it.
"It's wrong, isn't it?"
"It's fine," he replied, setting the cup aside. "Just was a bit too hot for my likes still." He could see that she didn't believe him for a second, but she didn't push him on it either thankfully. "I thought you had left," he admitted quietly, hoping she'd open a bit more to him if he did the same.
"I considered it." She shrugged, taking another sip. "But that wouldn't have been fair to you."
"Well, I'm glad you didn't." He watched her nod slowly, her eyes remaining lowered. That wasn't the reaction he had expected from her. He then frowned, as he watched her more. She was withdrawn again, sullen. Had something happened that he wasn't aware of? He had only been gone for a minute or two he thought. Best for him to be direct about it, he decided. "Is something wrong, Aurora?"
She scoffed in reply before she too set down her cup on the nightstand. "Pomfrey is never going to let me out again. You know that, right? Not after this. I'll be lucky if she even lets you visit."
The chimes from the clock tower echoing in the distance helped him quickly understand just what in the world she was talking about. It was way past the two hours Pomfrey had agreed to.
"I'll explain it to her," he calmly replied. "It's my fault, after all."
"Hardly," she said with a snort. "But thank you."
He inclined his head and sighed softly. "It was nice, though, wasn't it?"
"It was," she agreed, picking at invisible fuzz from the bedsheet.
"Aurora, this doesn't mean we won't see each other again. It might be awhile, but—"
"It's not that."
"Then what?"
"I hate it there." Her eyes darted back to his. "Locked in a cage, constantly being picked apart and prodded like a lab animal."
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why do you hate the hospital wing so much? It's not my cup of tea either of course, but Pomfrey means well. Even if she's annoying and fusses over you constantly."
"My problem isn't with her, Severus. I know she's just doing her job."
"Then what?"
"It's the whole damn room: the smells, the sounds, the food even. It's worse than Azkaban."
He couldn't help but snort. "And just what do you know about Azkaban, Aurora?"
If ever there was an embodiment of an innocent angel, it'd surely be of Aurora. Obviously, he knew there were parts of her life that he had absolutely no clue about. But her magic was light, whiter than any other person's he had ever encountered. Oh, sure, he wouldn't delude himself for a second and believe that she didn't know dark spells. She did. All Slytherins learned them at one point unfortunately, thanks to Horace Slughorn and his brilliant ideas. However, he knew she didn't cast them unless there was no other way, no other options left.
She didn't answer at first. Instead, she turned away, drawing her legs up and wrapping her arms around them. It was a few moments later before she finally said quietly, "One of Dumbledore's errands was for Kingsley and me to go there. To speak with someone for him."
She had visited Azkaban? His eyes narrowed on her. When? Before her mother and sister's deaths or . . . No! Surely Dumbledore wasn't that heartless. It was common knowledge, after all, that Dementors always affected those who suffered recent losses more than others. In fact, grief and despair was like a drug to them. It was one of the reasons Azkaban detested visitors. Actually, he could recall a few times, rare that it was, where visitors had been accidentally Kissed by the Dementors because of it.
"When was this?" he asked quietly as the wretched silence went on.
"July."
"What?" he snarled, sounding harsher than he had meant to. When he caught her flinch, he winced inwardly and forced himself to empty his mind to control his emotions again. "I apologize," he said softly, lowering his voice to a neutral tone, "but that was shortly after the attack." He made sure not to mention deaths. She didn't need to be reminded of that pain constantly.
"Yes." She rested her head atop of her knees with a soft sigh. She looked absolutely miserable.
"I'm sorry, Aurora," he murmured, reaching towards her. When she moved closer instead, he wrapped his arms around her and held her as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"Why? You didn't do anything. You didn't even know what had happened."
"I know, but . . ." He sighed heavily, leaning his head against hers. "If I could fix this for you, take all your pain, I would, Aurora."
She softly laughed before she pulled back slightly with a faint smile and looked at him. "I know you would, Severus. You don't have to tell me. I know." She then sighed loudly and leaned back against him. "Pomfrey is going to have kittens about this. I'm actually surprised she hasn't already busted through the portrait to drag me back."
He snorted. "I'd like to see her try and break my wards. Not even Dumbledore himself could come in here right now and take you away."
She grabbed his hand, knitting their fingers together gently. "Not even your mother?" she asked with a hint of amusement.
"Well, she might actually be successful," he admitted with a shrug, "but only because I don't want to hear her screeching at me for keeping her away from her only grandchild."
Aurora laughed softly, nodding against him. "Your son is very lucky to be loved by so many and loved so fiercely by them as well."
"Oh, trust me. The brat knows. He's already learned that if Dad says no, then you go to Grandmum or Granddad and ask them."
Her laughter increased. "A Slytherin in the making already."
"If he even goes to Hogwarts," Severus responded with a shrug.
"You'd send him elsewhere?"
"No." He then sighed, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb quietly. "Not elsewhere. I don't want him to go through what I did, though. And my past—well, you know it as well as I. All it takes is one dunderhead to make some smart remark, and my son finds himself then having to defend himself constantly or me to his classmates. It'd be easier to keep him away and teach him myself."
"I suppose."
"You disagree?"
"Well, I mean, he's not my son, so I can't really tell you what you should do." She shrugged. "Though, you know, Hogwarts shouldn't be damned because of a select few idiots who roamed its halls. This castle, after all, has been your home for—what—a better part of eleven or so years? It's your home, Severus. Somewhere you've felt safe. Most of the time anyways."
"Yes, but I could find another home for us. One that's not so wrapped up in history and the past."
"You could. If that's what you want."
He frowned. "I merely want my son safe, Aurora. That's all."
"What would you do then? Sell your potions?"
He shrugged again. "I don't know. I haven't really thought hard on it yet. I have a few years after all before I have to really decide."
"Hogwarts would lose a great Potions master."
Snorting, he rolled his eyes. "They'd throw a party, Aurora, and you know it."
"I wouldn't."
He glanced at her. "Then you intend to remain here at Hogwarts and take the Astronomy post?"
"Yes." She then smiled widely at him. "I mean, you weren't the only reason I applied here."
"No?" he drawled. "I'm a bit hurt by that. Here I thought I was the only reason."
She giggled, rolling her eyes. "You were a pretty big part, I admit, but ultimately it came down to being closer to my family and having a modest enough income where I could research on the side." She then bumped against him playfully. "And let's face it. The night sky over Hogwarts is like no other. Where else could I be so close to my stars than here?"
"So you applied because of stars and me?" He nodded slowly. "I see."
"Oh, please. Don't tell me you didn't apply here because of all the access you'd have to rare and interesting potions ingredients you could get for free."
"Actually, I'll have you know that I first applied for the Defense against the Dark Arts position."
"But you were unsuccessful?"
He opened his mouth before he closed it again. Obviously, that was the case, and she knew it. He frowned and glanced out a nearby window, watching a fish swim past.
She laughed softly before she pulled her hand back from his and caressed his cheek. "Has anyone ever told you that you look extremely sexy when you're angry?"
His eyes darted to her, and he raised a brow. Him, sexy? She was blind. "No, because they're usually too scared to form coherent thoughts when I'm angry," he drawled.
"Scared? Scared of what?" she teased, poking his bare chest lightly. "Of you?"
"Be careful, witch," he warned lightly, a slight smirk tugging at his lips. She was intentionally riling him up for some reason. Likely because, as she herself admitted, he seemed sexier when he was.
"Or what? You'll hex me?" Her eyes were sparkling mischievously. "I think you'll find that I'm not that easy."
"Oh?" he purred back. He drew in a slow, calculated breath as he considered his options. However, he threw all of it out the window a moment later. She had, after all, set him up perfectly for it, so it was likely her own fault for what he was about to say. "Then if I kissed you right now, you're claiming you wouldn't open up like a delicate flower begging me to snog you senseless?" He watched her inhale sharply and felt her tremble slightly. It was enlightening to know he affected her so much.
"You see, there's just one flaw in that, Severus," she stated a moment later with a shrug.
"Is there?"
"There is. You'd have to kiss me first, and, well, let's be honest—you wouldn't know what to do with me once you had me anyway. So, we'd kiss maybe, but you wouldn't snog me. You'd be too overcome to think about what to do next. Where your lips should be. Your tongue should be. Your hands. And so on."
"Are you calling me a coward, woman?" Had it been anyone else, he'd have been enraged. But it was her, and he knew that she knew how much he hated that word.
"Oh no. Nothing of the sort. I'm merely pointing out that when it comes to the sensual arts, you have quite the def—" She let out a sharp gasp when he snatched a hold of her wrists suddenly and managed to pin her on the bed below him, capturing her lips and stealing her breath.
He'd show her a thing or two. He had meant what he had said last night. He was well-versed in the sensual arts. In fact, snogging was something he was very good at. Not that he was bragging or anything. It was just a statement of fact, as he had loads of experience in it.
As his senses exploded in a fury as she kissed him back, he realized how good she felt beneath him. He groaned, pressing himself further into her when he felt her nails rake against his skin. She—they felt perfect together. One half of the other's soul. When he was absolutely certain her lips had swelled up nicely, he slowly moved on, leaving a trail of kisses down her jawline and down her neck. He could feel her chest heaving against his as she squirmed beneath him, gasping for the breaths he had stolen from her. He allowed his fingers to trail down the side of her body then, tracing invisible runes against her flesh as he slipped his hand underneath her tank-top. She arched up against him suddenly, moaning his name loudly into his ear. It was his undoing.
He shuddered at the resulting intense wave of pleasure that shot through, like a hundred lightning bolts of ecstasy, and exploded from him. The moment he realized what had occurred, he pulled back sharply and vanished the sticky evidence of his body's betrayal. He hadn't meant for it to go that far.
"I . . ." He couldn't get the words out. He felt absolutely mortified. It was his turn now to run.
"Severus?" she called out breathlessly, trying to reach for him. She missed, though.
He couldn't face her. Not after that. He snatched ahold of one of his robes hanging up and quickly headed out the door before she could say another word to stop him. He glanced at Harrison's closed door as he walked down the corridor, but turned to the right instead and waved a hand at the locked door before he slipped inside. The door shut quietly behind him, and only then did he exhale loudly, his hands coming up to cover his face.
He recalled his worst memory, watching it flash behind his eyes. Upside down in the air with all his classmates looking on, with Evans looking on, as his ratty old underwear was shown to everyone. And then came those fateful words spoken in stupidity and blind rage. And the despair that followed it as Evans had written him off and ended their friendship. It was happening again now with Aurora. She'd leave him surely after this. No woman wanted a man who couldn't control himself.
A knock against the door, though, got his hopes up. His hands fell to his side, and he whirled around, shocked. She hadn't left? He had been so certain she would.
"Severus?" Her voice was soft, hesitant. A pause followed. "Are you all right?"
"Go away, Sinistra," he snapped, desperately hoping she didn't. He wouldn't beg her to stay. To not leave him. He wouldn't force her to be his friend, his lover either. He loved her too much for that. He hated that he always relied on his temper to make things easier. To push the ones he loved away in order to protect himself. Oh, whom was he kidding? He wasn't pushing them. He was shoving them off every cliff he could find. He had always been like that, though, thanks to his father, Roger, his mother, Evans, everyone who had ever hurt him deeply.
When he didn't hear her respond or any sounds of movement, he closed his eyes dejectedly and turned away. He knew it was too good to be true. It was why he had sworn love off long ago. Or at least had tried to. No one could love a man who embraced the darkness inside, who couldn't control himself.
"Why?" she finally replied, yelling through the door at him. "So you can keep feeling sorry for yourself in there, Snape?"
He whirled back around. A part of him was glad to have heard her voice, to see that she hadn't quite abandoned him yet. Yet another part, the part usually in charge, was irritated by her words. How dare she accuse him of that! He snatched a hold of the doorknob, turned it, and threw the door open.
"Excuse me?" he sneered, glaring down at her.
"You heard me," she replied, matching his tone surprisingly.
He grabbed her arm and yanked her inside before he slammed the door shut again. He would be damned if they woke his son up over this. Throwing up a quick Muffliato, he leveled the coldest glare he had at her, terrified that she'd leave and angry that his temper didn't affect her in the slightest.
"Listen here, you insufferable—"
"No, you listen here, you dungeon-dwelling bat of bastardness!" she snapped back, poking him hard in the chest and leveling her own level-ten icy glare of death. "There is absolutely no goddamn reason for you to be a world-class git over this. So your 'wand' misfired with me just now. Who cares? I don't! Because—I don't know if you noticed this at all seeing as how you probably can't see anything past that long arse beak of yours—I wasn't doing much better than you!"
"You didn't—"
Once again, she cut him off, which irritated him even more. "Oh, I'm sorry," she snarled sarcastically. "Was your hand in my knickers without me realizing it? Because, I mean, if it was, then you'd very much be aware of how ready I was for you and realize how stupid you sound right now. But once again, Severus, you have to go running off like some damn lunatic thinking that you're always right when you are so very wrong in this case!" She threw her hands up into the air. "Sometimes I swear to Circe, you are blatantly dense on purpose, because there is absolutely no way you're this idiotic! I love you! Do you get that?" She poked him hard in the chest again. "Do you?"
He didn't know how to react to her, finding himself stunned by her words and actions.
"You don't need to run off just because of something like that. I wasn't horrified or whatever else you stupidly thought. I was a bit irritated when you left, sure, but that's it."
He opened his mouth to argue, but she once again sharply cut him off.
"If you so much as compare me to Evans right now, I'm punching you," she coldly stated. "Because I am not her, Severus, and I will never be her."
"Everyone leaves me, Aurora," he murmured, trying not to let his emotions get the better part of him or to sound pathetic. He failed at both. "Everyone reaches that breaking point, and—"
"I didn't leave, though. You did."
"Of course I left," he replied with a scoff. Why wasn't she getting this? It was fairly obvious he thought. "I didn't want to see your face when you realized that—"
"That you had responded perfectly naturally to the woman you love moaning your name in your ear," she interrupted yet again, causing him to clench his jaw tightly. "It happens. I mean, hell, Severus, it shows that you are very much attracted to me. Why the hell then would I want to leave you over it?"
When she put it that way, he supposed she may have been right. At least partially. He sighed silently and leaned back against the nearby table. He was never going to survive a relationship with her, let alone a physical one. He came undone by just her moaning his name. He scoffed again, shaking his head. He could see it now. A lifetime of embarrassing encounters played over and over in his head.
"Severus?"
"What?" he grumbled, crossing his arms with a frown.
"You haven't been with a woman, have you? Like, fully been with one?"
His eyes darted to her. Was it that obvious? "Of course I have, Sinistra," he snapped, the lie easily rolling off his tongue. Years of being friends with Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy had given him plenty of experience in reciting that particular lie. "That's ridiculous."
"It's fine if you haven't," she said neutrally, holding up a placating hand. "I'm not going to love you any less."
"Thank Merlin for that," he drawled bitterly. "However, I can assure you that I have been with many women. So many that I couldn't even tell you all their names."
She snorted, raising her eyebrows at him. "Oh, really?"
"Are you accusing me of lying?" he said in a low growl. He didn't like that she was able to pick up on his lies so easily.
She shrugged in response. "I mean, let's look at this logically, shall we? You kiss me that first time, and then pull back sharply. You kiss me again . . . and pull back. You tell me you love me. Kiss me again. Snog me actually this time and just when things get very interesting . . . you pull back yet again. Then we engage in a little foreplay, a little snogging some more, and you leave, scared that your body reacting to my actions is going to make me leave you."
"I'm not scared," he snapped, his heart racing as his ears rang.
"Prove it."
He scoffed, shaking his head. "We're not adolescents, Sinistra. Therefore, I do not need to prove myself to you. If you don't believe me, well, then that's—"
"Proving my point."
"Will you cease in your annoying habit of interrupting me, woman?" he growled, pushing off from the table finally. "I've been with women!"
"And I say that's bullshit, and that you're lying to me and yourself because you think that you have to be this whole macho man who has screwed them and left them like Black or Potter used to do. You forget that I know you, Severus. You don't have to pretend with me. If you haven't—"
"I've been with women," he repeated deathly quiet, taking several threatening steps towards her.
"Wait! Is this because of what I said last night? Your feeling the need to overcompensate now?"
"Of course not."
"Because none of those men mattered, Severus."
"Men?" he repeated, blinking when he heard his voice echo in the room. That was stupid. He shouldn't have said that. He was just giving her more evidence to back up her theory. He drew himself up to his full height and turned away from her when he realized she still wasn't afraid of him.
"That's what I said," she replied softly. "And before you think that I was shagging my way across Europe, the number is three, Severus." He turned back and held her eyes. "Once when I was fifteen, and it wasn't, shall we say, enjoyable in the slightest." She flexed her left hand. "The second time was several months after that, and I just was trying to make myself feel better because of how horrible my first time was. Of course sleeping with Black never makes one feel better."
"What?!" His dark eyes widened. "You slept with Black?" He hadn't mean to yell, but . . . of all the men she could possibly have chosen, she chose Black?!
"It wasn't my proudest moment, Severus," she replied with a frown. "I was drinking to forget and numb myself, and he did his usual bit . . . and I just didn't care. Until I did afterwards and was a sobbing mess in front of him." She then crossed her arms. "I could have not told you that, you know, but I did. Even though, I know how much you hate him."
"For good reason," he growled before he shook his head angrily. She was right, though. She didn't have to tell him, but he was glad that she had. It spoke to her trust and love for him. It couldn't have been easy considering how much he hated the wretched man. It wouldn't have been unimaginable that he'd leave her after that. Black. She had been with Black of all men. He exhaled forcefully, knowing he would somehow have to come to terms with that disturbing info and move on. It was, after all, long ago . . . and she had been fifteen at the time by her admission. An age known for stupid, reckless tendencies. "And your third?"
"Happened after another night of drinking. I couldn't even tell you the guy's name to be honest." She shrugged again. "I went out with Dem to celebrate our passing some exam or something, and there was this guy who was flirting with me at one of the clubs we were at. I had more than my usual glasses of elf-wine, and it happened. Wasn't romantic in the slightest or good either for that matter, seeing as how it happened in one of the stalls of the club's bathrooms."
He opened his mouth before he snapped it firmly shut, realizing what she was telling him. She was more experienced than him, yes, but they weren't encounters to be proud of or memorable for her in the slightest. In fact, she likely hadn't enjoyed a single time, nor had it been with someone she cared for. He sighed heavily and ran a hand through his long hair.
"Fine. You're right," he admitted softly, waving a hand lazily. "I haven't done that."
"Thank you. Now, was that so hard?"
He frowned, glaring at her. Maybe not for her. "Be as that may, though, I'm not scared. I meant what I said, Sinistra. We shouldn't move on to that step until you're . . ." His words trailed off as he watched her pull her tank-top off in front of him. "Uh . . ." What on Earth was she doing?
With a smile that would have made the Cheshire cat jealous, she stared back at him before she then pushed down her shorts and stepped out of them. "Oh, I'm sorry. You were saying?"
He inhaled sharply and averted his eyes far from her delicious nakedness. He could feel his cheeks flush once more, and the familiar hardness return to his groin. Merlin, what this woman did to him somedays. It was utter torture.
"What are you doing, Aurora?"
When she gently grabbed his chin a moment later and turned his head back to her, he groaned loudly in defeat. His eyes reluctantly met hers again, noticing her amusement mixed with love for him.
"Well, now that I know I'm right," he groused at her words, "it makes me want you that much more." Her smile grew. "Everyone wants to steal a virgin's virtue after all," she teased.
"We shouldn't do this," he murmured, leaning in to her hand that was caressing his cheek. She felt so good. His control was slipping again. He couldn't clear his mind.
"You're exactly right. We've hardly dated. We really shouldn't," she agreed, smiling saucily. She then leaned in closer to him. "But admit it, you want to."
"You're still recovering from—"
"This isn't because I want to feel something, Severus. I mean, I do. Don't get me wrong there. I do want to feel that ecstasy and peacefulness that follows. I admit that freely." She then sighed softly, her eyes softening. "I love you, though. I think you see that. And, well, I'll be honest some more. I think it'll be good for you if we do this. If we just . . . plunge right in like stupid teenagers in love."
"Good?" he scoffed, rolling his eyes.
"Yes." She grabbed his hands, placing them on her chest atop of her heart. He sharply inhaled in response to her action, taking note at how fast her heart was beating currently. "Because you're overthinking everything right now. And don't bother denying it either. I can hear your thoughts because they're that loud currently."
"You cannot!" he argued. She wasn't a Legilimens. And, sure, he wasn't occluding or anything right then, but he wasn't by any means a novice and left his mind that open.
"I get the whole not wanting to hurt me. I do. And it's sweet of you to deny yourself because you don't want to hurt me. Hell, I also get that you're probably thinking now with me revealing my pathetic sexual encounters that, you know, it doesn't mean much to me. But, Severus, I want this, and sex, especially with you, does too mean something to me. I'm not drunk or on anything or trying to manipulate you for nefarious reasons. I'm perfectly sober, rational as I ever am. And I'm telling you that I want this. I truly do. You and me shagging isn't going to undo anything. I'm not going to go off the deep end and drown my sorrows, hurt myself afterwards. I'm not wanting this because you're just another warm body either. I want this with you, Severus. I want you." She kept her hands atop of his. "I mean, if you truly don't think you're ready, then I'll re-dress and we can enjoy a good breakfast together with Harrison before I go back." She smiled at him. "But I think our little moment back in the bedroom shows that you are. Your mind, though, is holding you back because you're envisioning all the things that could go wrong, all the possibilities, not to mention the fact that we're still learning about one another. Your heart, on the other hand, is locked in a constant duel with your mind, telling you you're an idiot and to go for it already. To take this leap of faith with me."
He sighed heavily. She wasn't wrong. "But why did you undress then?"
"Because it's the only way to get you out of your mind," she replied with a laugh. "And, well, I'll admit it is amusing to see you lose your constant grip on your control too, as it's so rare to see."
"You're a very evil woman, you know that?" he mumbled, his shoulders slumping. If she was telling the truth, then what was stopping him from doing what he himself badly wanted to do? Granted, they barely knew each other still as she too admitted, but he had learned quite a bit about her. And she hadn't left him yet know what she knew about him, so that was a good sign. And he was curious, very much so. She was willing, so who the hell was he to deny her the pleasure? Deny himself the pleasure?
"I'm a Slytherin, Severus. You know that. We'll use any means to achieve our goals."
He snorted before a grin took over. "About time you act like one, Sinistra."
"Are you just going to keep talking or are you going to take advantage of the fact that you have a willing female in front of you who desperately desires you?" she stated with another saucy smile. "So much so that she's standing naked in your damn dungeons, half-freezing to death?"
"I haven't decided yet," he remarked, chuckling when she lightly hit his chest.
"Smart arse."
One of his hands pulled back then before he lowered his head and kissed her. His free hand went to her curls before his other lowered and slid around to her lower back to push her even closer. When he felt her arms wrap around his neck, he inhaled, groaning as her scent invaded his every sense again. He was giving in, taking a risk. Being a goddamn Gryffindor with her and being reckless . . . and in love. His heart on his sleeve, ready to be ripped out by anyone passing by. Merlin, he was being rather melodramatic, wasn't he?
When he felt her hands move down his chest, he paused, drawing in a breath to clear his mind. "Not in my lab," he murmured against her lips, trying to maneuver them to the door then. When she pulled back from him, though, his eyes narrowed in confusion. "What?" Had he said something wrong?
"Why not?" she asked with a playful smile.
"Because it's my lab," he replied, blinking at her. When she walked around him a moment later, he felt even more confused. Weren't they . . . His mouth dropped when she hopped up to sit on the edge of his mahogany workbench then. Every time he'd brew know, he'd recall this moment. "Aurora?"
"Yes, Severus?"
"It's my lab," he repeated for lack of anything else to say.
"I know. It's your private lab in fact. I bet you don't let just anyone in here. Do you?" she asked with a playful smile, a finger brushing over the wooden tabletop seductively.
"No." He swallowed, taking two steps towards her. "I haven't had anyone in here ever."
"I bet you have all sorts of fantasies in that mind of yours. Locked up behind the thickest barriers you can create. Hmm?" she said, her hand slowly running through his long raven locks. "And I bet all the stars in my sky that one of them took place right here."
His mouth went dry suddenly, and he leaned more into her touch. She wasn't wrong. He had dreamt of a fairly similar situation over the past summer reading her future self's journal.
"It's your decision, of course." She shrugged. "Here. Your bed. The shower. Or anywhere."
He half-choked out a snort, as he watched her. "My, aren't you the little sex fiend, Aurora?" he drawled, his voice cracking just slightly. She was going to eat him alive. That much was certain.
"Like I said, I've been fantasizing about us since I met you. So, that's—what—ten years of fantasies?" she laughed. "I'll admit, they didn't get steamy until I was thirteen. And, oh Circe . . . at fourteen I was beyond all hope."
He stepped in between her spread legs, his hands pressed flush against the table as he leaned towards her. Her words were definitely having the desired reaction on him. He was so close to throwing caution to the wind and giving in to the dark fantasy she was creating for him.
"Oh?" he murmured.
"One of my favorites was you—well . . ." Her voice trailed off as her arms wrapped around his neck again, as she pulled him flush against her. "I really shouldn't."
"Go on." He was trembling against her. Was he breathing anymore? He couldn't tell. All he knew was that he had a beautiful naked woman wrapped around him, ready, wanting, needing him.
She nudged him to lean his head closer to her. "Slughorn had paired us up. You were supposed to teach me some potion. I forget which. I stirred it the wrong way, which annoyed you to no ends."
So far her fantasy sounded plausible. Slughorn had, after all, forced him to tutor her a few times over their years together at Hogwarts. It was how their head of house made sure Slytherin did well when it came to the house cup. Pair up the brilliant students with the dreadful ones to study. Almost always he had paired his students by years, but no one wanted to work with the witch who had managed to destroy classroom number ten and almost the entire stock of Horace's private ingredients.
"So, you came up behind me to correct me. I could feel your breath on my neck. Your heart beating against my back. Your warmth."
His eyes narrowed on her as a memory quickly flashed to the surface.
"I turned my head to ask you what the hell you were doing, and our lips accidentally brushed against one another's. Like this." She turned her head slightly before showing him.
His hands pressed more against the wood to keep himself from shoving her back against the table and snogging her senseless. When she pulled back a moment later, he felt slightly disappointed and his lips felt rather hollow without her kissing him anymore.
"And then?"
"Nothing," she replied with a shrug and feigned sigh.
"No. There's more. There has to be." His voice had almost cracked.
She laughed softly. "Well, I can't give away all my fantasies, Severus."
He scoffed before his hands went to her hips. "You're a tease, Sinistra. A wretched succubus who seduces poor souls for her own merciless pleasure," he grumbled, brushing off her giggles.
"Guilty."
"Unfortunately for you, I know just the way to deal with dark creatures like yourself."
"Do you now?" she purred, her arms going back to his neck.
"Oh yes. You see, I'm well-versed in the Dark Arts. Succubus, vampires, witches, sirens, dryads: they have no power over me as I know all their tricks, your tricks. So, you, my dear siren, beautiful succubus you are, will fail miserably."
"We'll see about that."
"Yes. We shall," he replied before he lifted her up off the table. He could feel his body react more to her then, but he pushed past it. He was on a mission. And he'd be damned if he didn't get them to his bed. He slowly maneuvered them out of his labs, pausing only briefly to reactivate his wards around his lab to ensure Harrison or anyone else didn't go in there without him. That feat was damn near impossible thanks to the woman currently trying her damnedest to distract him by pressing kisses everywhere she could reach. Once he was certain he was successful, he continued down the corridor.
They were almost there when she slipped down him, stumbling slightly as her feet managed to reach the ground again. He managed to steady her, his lips returning to hers as his arm wrapped around her waist. Several times, they bumped against the wall, but still they continued onward. He slowly pushed the door closed behind them once they reached his bedroom, gasping when he felt the sudden cold surround his lower half a second later as she had somehow managed to vanish his sweatpants. He still had his robes on, though. All the good they did.
She ran her hand up his bare chest with a soft laugh, his muscles clenching underneath her fingertips. "Let's see if you exceed expectations, hmm?" she drawled before throwing her head back and laughing when he picked her up again like a bride on her wedding night and carried her to his bed.
"Exceed Expectations?" he repeated with a smirk. "I'm going for a full O from you, witch."
The first thing he noticed upon waking some time later was that something very irritating was tickling his nose. Without a thought given or even an eye opening, he batted the annoying thing away from his face to stop it, pausing when his hand connected with something and he heard the resulting soft yelp beside him. What the hell was that?
Reacting on instinct, he quickly shot up, eyes wide open, snatching his wand from the nightstand before he pointed it at the shadowy figure in his bed. The torches then flared with life, bathing the room in a warm light and revealing the figure to be Aurora. He sighed with a wince, quickly lowering his wand again and setting it back on the nightstand. Well, that was stupid of him in hindsight.
"Are you all right?" he asked softly, gently touching her arm.
"You mean after you hit me, Severus?" she replied with a quiet laugh, rubbing her cheek gently. She didn't seem at all fazed by what had happened. At least he could see no anger or hurt in her eyes. "Yeah, I'll live."
He winced again at her words and glanced down guiltily. "I'm sorry, Aurora." If she had any sort of sense, she'd leave him then and save herself from the darkness that always consumed him.
"Don't," she said, returning his earlier touch to her arm. "It was an accident."
"I know, but . . ." He sighed heavily before he finally turned back to her. She was right. It was an accident after all. There was no need to go entirely off the deep end quite yet. He could still fix this. She at least was offering him that option. "Let me see."
"Why? So, you can fuss over me? Or is it so you can beat yourself up some more over something that you and I both know you didn't mean to do?" She didn't wait for his reply. "Yeah, I think not."
"Aurora."
"Severus," she said, matching his tone perfectly.
"Please. Let me see it."
She huffed loudly but complied, lowering her hand. He grimaced when he saw the red mark against her cheek. His fingertips gingerly slid over the mark a moment later, and he watched it disappear as he healed it for her.
"You realize you didn't have to do that, right? It would have went away in a little bit."
"I know," he replied with a nod. "But I wanted to heal it faster for you."
"Well, thank you, but you didn't have to. It was an accident."
"I'm not so certain Pomfrey would have seen it that way," he stated quietly.
"Well, screw her." When he made a disgusted face, she laughed. "Not literally of course, but who gives a damn what she thinks? I know you didn't mean to, and that's all that matters."
He smiled faintly. "You truly see no wrong in me, do you?" He didn't wait for her to reply. "Then it's true what they say. Love is blind."
She rolled her eyes before she moved to get up.
"Aurora?" he called out to her.
"Yeah?" She turned back.
"Do you regret this? Us being together?" he asked quietly.
"Do you?" she replied neutrally.
He sighed, disappointed that she didn't answer his question. When he heard her soft laughs a moment later, his eyes darted back up to her. She was running a hand through her curls and shaking her head at him. She was truly beautiful, a light to his darkness.
"No, Severus. I don't regret it for a moment." She slowly walked back before she jumped onto the bed and crawled the rest of the way over to him. Once she reached him, she smiled and placed a hand against his bare chest. "Do you?"
"No." He then sighed heavily, sliding his hand into hers. "Well, actually, I regret parts."
"Oh?" She gave him a lopsided grin. "Which ones?"
He shrugged, glancing down at her delicate hand in his. "I don't know. The beginning, I guess." When he heard her quiet laughs, he glanced at her. "It's not funny, Aurora."
"On the contrary, my dear Severus, it is," she replied with a wide smile.
"Wonderful," he grumbled, shaking his head.
"Hey," she gently said, slowly pushing his chin back so he would look at her. "The beginning was my favorite part."
"You're mad."
"Maybe," she replied with a shrug. "But seeing you go from nervous as hell to being confident was very, very attractive."
"I could be cleaning a cauldron, witch, and you'd be turned on," he remarked with another sigh.
She giggled softly. "Possibly. It would definitely have to be a really dirty one, though, where you'd really have to scrub at it. You know?" she teased, crying out when he gently snatched ahold of her and rolled on top. Her tongue slowly darted out between her lips as she licked them, staring up at him.
"You have a very dirty mind, witch." He could just imagine the filthy thoughts in her mind currently, as he stared down at her.
"If you only knew," she purred back, running a hand up and down his chest.
His eyes narrowed on her before he chuckled quietly. "Luckily—or rather unluckily for you in your case—I can." When he watched her eyes widen in understanding, he drew in a breath to center himself to prepare himself for his casting.
"Wait."
He paused instantly, narrowing his eyes on her in confusion.
"Just be gentle. All right?" she asked with a hint of worry in her voice.
He smiled and nodded. "Always." When she inclined her head in assent, he cast Legilimens.
Finding himself in an unfamiliar mind was always unsettling to him at first. It always had been. But Dumbledore had pushed him during their lessons to keep at it, to push his uneasiness aside and continue onward to learn all the other person's secrets. After all, when one finds himself at the side of a psychotic sadist like Lord Voldemort, it was very important to always be on guard and learn of other person's intentions as it ensured one's safety.
He could feel Aurora's mind brush against his every now and then. She was undisciplined, unexperienced, though, so she couldn't truly prevent his finding what he looking for. But he could tell by her feeble attempts that she wasn't necessarily trying to push him fully from her mind, however, and that was good to know. Deep down, she knew that he would not hurt her or violate her mind, which was the case with so many other Legilimens.
When he finally found the desired fantasy in the deepest reaches of her mind, he grinned and pulled it to the surface a few seconds later. Faintly, he could feel her breathing increase against him as she likely realized what fantasy he had chosen. He chuckled in response, his fingers threading with hers. It was rather alluring to know they would be watching her fantasy together. A voyeuristic fantasy. Who said he wasn't exciting in bed?
The fantasy quickly shimmered to life in her mind.
They were outside he quickly realized as the fantasy started. The stars were twinkling overhead, and he could hear waves lapping against rocks nearby. He waited a bit more before he finally took in his full surroundings. It was an unfamiliar beach they were on. Tall, foreboding white cliffs rose up a bit from the small, sandy beach. He watched the waves crash against for a moment before he moved on to the next detail. Judging by the light, the moon had to be almost full, which he confirmed by looking up at the dark sky overhead.
The entire setting was beautiful, calming even. He could smell the salty air. Feel the cool breeze as it came in off the water. So that was her fantasy, them shagging on a beach under the moonlight. He supposed he could see the appeal.
He then turned to look towards Aurora, only to pull back sharply from her mind when he saw the horrified look on her face. With a blink, he found himself back in his own mind staring down at her. At the sight of a few tears rolling down her cheeks, he rolled off her, his eyes darting back and forth.
"Did I hurt you?" he asked, his voice trembling. He hadn't mean to if he did.
"No," she replied, shaking her head. Her hands came up, and she wiped the tears away. "No you didn't hurt me." She drew in several shaky breaths, pulling her legs back up and hugging herself.
"Then what?" It was a beach scene. One that he had never been to in fact. Surely it wasn't a reason to cry over, was it? No. No, he was missing something. There had to be something else.
Her eyes darted to his, and she wore a look of extreme pain and grief.
"Aurora?" he murmured, hesitantly reaching out to touch her before he decided against it.
"It, the beach, it, um," her voice faltered before she drew in a deep breath. "It was the beach at Windsor." She wiped a few more tears from her cheeks. "Where I grew up. Where my family's manor is. Where . . ." She swallowed back her tears. "I'm sorry. I'm . . . I know you were just . . ."
He stared at her, horrified by his own actions. How could he have been so stupid? "Shit! Aurora, I didn't know." He moved to pull her into his arms, thankful that she allowed him to. He held her tightly, wishing he could take all the pain that he had caused to resurface away. "I'm sorry."
"It's . . . I know you didn't know. It's okay."
"No it's not," he argued.
"Severus, please," she murmured. "It's okay. I know." She leaned against him, breathing in and out for a few moments.
He felt absolutely horrible. How could he have been so stupid? He didn't deserve her. He didn't deserve anyone. It would be better for everyone if he just left and never came back.
"Will you stop? Please?" she said a few seconds later, seemingly hearing his own silent self-hatred debasement. "It's fine."
"No it's not fine. I hurt you. I—"
"You didn't know, Severus. You didn't know what that was." She turned around, her hands holding his face. "All you knew was that it was a beach somewhere. I don't blame you. Really. I don't. You didn't know."
"I hurt you," he repeated quietly. For a second time this morning, he had hurt her.
"Not on purpose you didn't. You never would."
"You don't know that. You don't know me. I'm not a good man, Aurora."
"You're not a bad one either, Severus."
He sighed quietly. "You're just saying that because you love me."
"Because it's the truth, idiot. You're not a bad man. You're just tragically flawed."
He half-snorted. Tragically flawed? "Is that all?"
"Well, no," she replied with a shrug and half-smile. "Sometimes you're a bastard. And not your garden-variety kind either."
"Is that so?" he drawled, returning her smile with a smirk. It was amazing how easily she could turn their conversation into a more relaxing one. It was as if she had years of practice.
"Yes." She leaned towards him. "And then sometimes you're just a plain arse."
"And here I thought you liked my arse. I'm hurt, Aurora," he drawled, leaning in closer. He could feel her warm breath against his face, smell her berry scent . . . and the strong scent of sex in the air. He chuckled as he recalled their earlier frenzied coupling.
"What are you laughing about?"
He shrugged. "You'll never know."
"Oh really?" She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Do you know who you're talking to here, Severus?"
"A mediocre witch with little talent for spellcasting and don't even get me started on the atrocious handling of a wand." He watched her scoff as her eyes narrowed in obvious disbelief.
"Is that right? Well, Severus, you weren't complaining earlier with how I was holding your wand." She leaned even closer until their noses were touching. "Now, were you?" She outstretched her arms on either side of him.
He snorted and shook his head. "That's what you come back with? A double entendre? My first-years could have come up with a better retort than you."
She smiled in return, though, and laughed softly, pulling back. "Maybe, but can your first-years do this?" She revealed then that she had a hold of his wand from the nightstand.
"Aurora . . ." he warned, the blood pooling from his face. There was nothing more dangerous than a witch holding a wand. His eyes widened as he watched his wand in her hand gracefully move through the air then, his mind racing with possible spells she was casting. When he finally realized what she was casting, he quickly tried to block her spell but was two seconds too late.
The silver jet of light hit him square in the chest. He doubled over feeling the intense sensation of a hundred fingers tickling him all over his body. He tried to fight the urge to laugh, but he was no match for Rictusempra. The laughter roared out of him, and he writhed on his bed, flopping back against his headboard several times as he tried to escape it.
"Aur—Aura—Rora—Stop . . . please . . ." he begged through his forced laughs. "Please."
"No. You called me mediocre and said I had atrocious wand work, so . . ."
When he felt the invisible fingers move suddenly and concentrate all on one single spot, he jerked upwards in surprise. She was going to kill him. He groaned, grabbing her wrist, before he pulled her closer to him.
"Please?" he said through trembling laughs. It actually hurt laughing this hard and this much. He found her eyes, hoping she'd see his pain. The spell ended a moment later, and he fell back against his headboard with a loud sigh of relief. "Thank . . . you," he said through gasping breaths. His eyes closed, and he drew in several deep breaths to calm his heart back down. Of all the spells in the world, Rictusempra was the one he hated the most. He hated being tickled.
However, it was clear that Aurora was not going to have any of this a moment later. His eyes fluttered back open the minute he felt her climb on top of him in order to straddle him. He watched her curiously, noticing that she had placed his wand back on the nightstand beside him.
"What are you doing, witch?"
"I would think that, my dear wizard, is obvious," she replied a grin.
"You nearly killed me."
"Well, next time don't be an arse and say I'm mediocre." Her arms wrapped loosely around his neck. "Or you'll find out just how nasty I can be."
"Touché," he replied, his arms encircling her waist.
"You do look adorable when you're laughing, though."
"I'm anything but adorable," he grumbled.
"Fine. Sexy. Better?" She laughed when he inclined his head to her. "I should be getting back before Pomfrey storms in." She then sighed, leaning forward so their foreheads touched. "I don't want to, though. You know?"
"I do."
She smiled warmly at him before she carded her fingers through his hair. He closed his eyes briefly before he gently grabbed her hands.
"I'll visit you. Harrison and me both will."
"That's sweet, but let's be honest here. She's not going to let you anywhere near me after this."
He frowned. "Why? Because we had sex?"
Her smile widened, and she laughed softly. "No, Severus. Because we broke her trust. She said two hours, and we're at—what—almost eight? Though, I'm certain she'll definitely judge me when she finds out what we did for those additional hours."
"It's none of her business what we do or not do together."
"It's not, but she did warn against this."
"What?" He had to have heard her wrong. Warn against what?
"She was concerned that if you and I had sex, that I'd backslide or rather go off the deep end again in order to escape my grief. Like you were. And she's not exactly wrong to be concerned," Aurora admitted with a shrug. "But she is wrong this time, though."
He stared at her, barely blinking as she continued. Had he chosen wrong by agreeing earlier?
"I mean, I wouldn't mind shagging you over and over and never leaving this bed, but I know that's wrong. That we have responsibilities, people who need us. But . . ." She sighed, meeting his eyes again. "But I can't deny that I'm happy when we're together either, that you help me forget what happened if only for a little bit. Does that make sense?"
"I'm a distraction," he murmured, staring at her numbly. That was all he was, wasn't he? A distraction for her? Her earlier words were nothing more than a means to achieve her goal. She didn't give a damn about him. How could he have been so stupid? He had believed her!
"No." She grabbed his hands, threading their fingers together. "You're not. Severus, I promise you that you're not. I love you."
"Love and lust are two very different things, but easily are confused for one another, Aurora," he stated neutrally, trying his best not to let his voice betray the turbulent emotions swirling underneath.
"Stop it. Please." She pulled back from him. "I love you. That's why I wanted this."
"Is it?" he asked. "Or was all of this just an end to justify your means?" He watched her face fall, hating that he was the reason it had. But he wasn't going to be with someone who just used him. He had enough people in his life for that already.
"I apologize for interrupting," a nasally voice spoke from a portrait on the wall.
"What?" Severus replied frowning deeply before he tore his gaze from Aurora, who was getting up out of the bed, and glanced at the portrait Phineas Nigellus was in.
"Madam Pomfrey is outside, wishing to speak with you," Phineas announced, his dark eyes briefly glancing towards Aurora before returning to Severus.
Severus turned to her and said brusquely, "I trust you know the way out of here, Sinistra?"
By the look on her face, he could tell that he had just said the one thing that had hurt her worse than a Cruciatus ever would. A part of him hated himself for saying it, but if she was just using him . . .
"Excuse me?" Phineas Nigellus exclaimed, clearly outraged. "How dare you speak to her in that manner, young man!"
Severus's head whipped back to the portrait, ignoring that Aurora was silently re-dressing. "Keep your nose out of things that do not concern you," he snarled.
"Where it concerns her, it does concern me, half-blood!"
"Phineas, that's enough," Aurora finally spoke, sounding more tired than ever before.
"He should not treat you like that, my dear," the former headmaster of Hogwarts replied in a tender, kind tone. "And if he were any sort of man, he'd apologize for his stupidity just now."
"It's fine," she said quietly before she turned back to Severus, her sleepwear exchanged for a simple dress. "You can think whatever you want, but I'm telling you the truth, Severus. I love you. This wasn't . . . I'm not using you to make myself feel better. I'm not." Tears rolled down her cheeks as she spoke. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her midsection, as if she was protecting herself. "I don't know how to make you . . . make you understand that. I love you, and I wish you believed me."
It would be so easy to believe her. To believe that she was telling the truth and that she really did want to be with him. That she wasn't using him. But a lifetime of experience had taught him that lies were always easier to believe than the truth, to believe that he could in fact have something good in his life. He had so badly wanted this to be true. He did. He loved her. Loved her more than he had ever loved Evans, than anyone else before, and now as he sat there watching her, he hurt. His heart hurt. It had felt like someone had ripped his heart out and torn it to shreds. Why couldn't he believe her? Why was he automatically assuming the worst? Maybe she was telling the truth. Maybe he just needed to stop listening to the darkness for once, stop believing the worst in people, and just . . open himself up fully. Did he risk more pain? Yes, but this was Aurora after all. A woman who had stood by him, who had protected him, who had given herself to him, who loved him. Even in her worst moment, she had protected him. That had to speak for something, didn't it?
He sighed heavily, hearing Demetri's voice in the back of his mind saying, 'Do not fuck this up, Snape.' But that was what he was doing, wasn't it? He was screwing it up royally. Believing that Aurora was like all the others who had come before in his life. He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. Whatever happened to giving a person the benefit of the doubt anyway? She always did for him.
"Aurora," he finally said a few seconds later, glancing at her. "I apologize for my words."
"You damn well better," the wizard in the portrait spoke up.
"I shouldn't have said that to you." She stared back at him, swallowing slowly. He could see more tears forming in her eyes and felt his heart constrict in response. "I'm being an idiotic bastard to you, and . . . I was wrong. I know you wouldn't do that." He slowly got up out of bed, wanting to take away the pain he had caused her again. "I'm sorry. I understand if you don't forgive me. I was horrible to you just now . . . and ruining what should have been a very good morning after for us."
He finally reached her, hesitating only briefly before he wrapped his arms around her gently. The second he heard her sobs against his shoulder and felt her grab ahold of him as if she was drowning, he felt the repeated metaphorical punches to his gut. He was such an idiot. How could he even consider that she would do something so horrible to him? He held her gently, rubbing her back as she cried.
"I'm so sorry, Aurora." At the sound of the disapproving scoff from the portrait, he glanced towards Phineas. "Inform Pomfrey we'll be there in a moment please." He could tell from the look on the other wizard's face that the former Headmaster was not thinking highly of him right then, but Phineas complied and left. Brushing back her curls, Severus sighed silently and kissed the top of her head gently as he felt her tremble even more violently against him. "I'm sorry, Aurora. I'm sorry I'm such a bastard to you sometimes. That I hurt you . . . that . . ." The words died on his lips when he suddenly heard a gargling noise from her. "Aurora?" He pulled back sharply, his eyes widening at what he saw. "Aurora!" He quickly lowered her to the floor, feeling her jerk violently against him. He kept her rolled on to her side so she didn't choke any longer. "Pomfrey!" he yelled, his heart racing as he lowered his wards. Aurora was seizing. Was it a poison in her system? A reaction? A . . . "Aurora!" He heard the loud footfalls, not bothering to glance at whom he knew had to be Madam Pomfrey.
At the sounds of light chanting a moment later, he glanced at the matron, noticing her wand waving furiously over Aurora. She was deep in a spell.
"What is this? What's happening to her?" he asked with an panicked edge to his voice.
"Hush!" the matron snapped, glaring at him before she returned to her work.
His eyes darted back and forth between her and Aurora. It seemed a lifetime had passed before Aurora finally stilled and relaxed.
As the horrible silence continued, he finally broke down and asked, "What happened?"
"What happened?" Pomfrey repeated before she scoffed harshly. "This is exactly why I said two hours, Severus Snape! Not eight! Two!" Pomfrey sharply said, pointing her finger at him. "She has potions she has to take. Otherwise, this happens! Now, I get it. I do. You're both madly in love with one another, but, damn it, Severus! When I say two hours, I mean two goddamn hours!"
"She was fine just a bit ago."
"No, Severus, she was not," Pomfrey hissed, glaring at him some more. "You are very lucky that I've been monitoring her since you two have been acting like hormonal children or she'd have died!"
He was taken aback by her declaration. "What's wrong with her?"
His question took a bit of wind out of her angry sails. Poppy sighed softly. "I don't know."
"What do you mean, you don't know? You're a Healer, Pomfrey!"
"I'm well aware of that, Severus," she hissed. "But I haven't figured out yet if it's being caused by a curse, potion, or something else. It clearly whatever it is was activated by her taking Bliss. But that is all I know as of right this minute. Now, if I were you, young man," she stated briskly, her wand in hand and quickly flicking at Aurora's unconscious body, "I'd get dressed and get your son. We're taking her back to the hospital wing. Maybe you can figure it out since you two seem to know each other well enough now to engage in sexual activities for half the night."
Severus didn't know whether to wince or argue with her. He hated not knowing how to react, but he was finding himself more and more in these types of situations. He would have to get better at rolling with the punches so to speak and adapt to the ever-changing situations he found himself in these days.
"Do I need to repeat myself, Mister Snape?" the matron replied deathly quiet.
"No, Madam," he answered like a scared first-year, waving his wand down himself to magically dress himself. Once his usual robes were on, he felt a bit better but not by much.
"Excellent." She stood up and levitated Aurora up off the ground. "I do hope for both your sakes you at least managed to protect yourselves last night before engaging in intercourse."
Severus felt his cheeks flush, and his eyes went to the floor instantly. It was like hearing his mother lecturing him all about the birds and bees again. He couldn't get enough spit to wet his mouth enough to respond to Pomfrey's muttered statement.
"But considering how foolish you both were to engage in such an intimate encounter in the first place, clearly not knowing a damn thing about one another—Oh, whom am I kidding really?" She threw a hand up in exasperation. "It's truly a miracle Hogwarts isn't full of pregnant girls year after year."
Severus had to agree with her on some level. Though, he himself as Head of Slytherin House had made it a point at the start of every term to have his prefects discuss with the younger students about safe sex practices. It was one of the few things he had adopted from his own Head of House Horace Slughorn. After all, he would be damned to be the first Head of House in nearly a half-century to have a pregnant student in his house.
"Are you coming or what?" Pomfrey snapped. He followed soon after with a groggy Harrison.