Translation by Jessinthedungeons.
Chapter 18 - The calm in both of us
The room was still dark when I stepped on the cold floor. It didn't matter whether or not I set an alarm, my body just knew it was time to get up. As quietly as I could, I went to my backpack and fumbled in the dark to find the clothes I left right on top of it. I had just pulled my sleeping jacket over my head when the dim light came from a phone. I froze.
I froze, wearing nothing but my panties.
— What are you doing? — Severus's thick sleepy voice asked.
I had two options: I could freak out and make a scandal there being practically naked, or I could pretend I was taking it in a good way and make it look like it was natural that I was topless in front of him.
— I'm going for a walk. — I answered in a whisper, not yet moving. — Go back to sleep.
There was a pause and then the mattress began to creak. I knew in advance what he was going to say.
— I'll go. — He said emphatic.
Oh my God.
I got on my knees as fast as I could, now that I was able to see, I pulled on the sports bra as fast as lightning, as soon as the muffled sound of his feet planted on the ground and warned me that my time was up. I didn't even allow myself to think that he probably had a lateral glimpse of my breast when the light switch was turned on and I pulled a blouse over my head before getting up, already holding my leggings with my other hand, ready to put it on as soon as possible. But as sure as the wind out there, I'm not going to bend over and put them with my ass facing him.
As soon as I turned to face him, I stopped, because Severus was facing me, watching me with a sleepy face and wearing nothing more than boxer shorts. All I saw was his pale abdomen with short hair coming down to the edge of his grey boxers, which stamped the morning erection fitted into his thigh.
I coughed and looked at his thighs once more, before quickly getting into my pants and pulling it by my legs, at the same moment he also dressed up in his own sweatpants. I couldn't breathe, and I didn't stare at him when I picked up my socks off the floor.
— Hm, I'll ... — I coughed again. — Wait for you in the kitchen.
He grumbled his agreement and stepped out of the room, until I remembered that I left my sneakers inside. I groaned, and returned, grabbing them, not looking at Severus. I locked myself in the bathroom, breathing fast while doing my morning clean-up routines.
Harry had already left, and Ginny had finished putting the coats on the children to take them to daycare. Both boys rushed to hug me and I filled every area of their little faces with sweet kisses. As soon as the three of them said goodbye, I headed to the kitchen and filled two bottles of water for our outdoor sport, also grabbing a glass of my own for myself, while waiting for it. It didn't occur to me, until he arrived in the kitchen, that I should have at least tidied up my hair instead of leaving it in the mess it was in.
— Ready? — I asked.
Sleepy and with his eyes and cheeks swollen, he confirmed with his head. Don't look at his crotch, don't look at his crotch. I looked at it at a glance. Pretty quick.
— Eyes up here, Granger.
I wanted to die.
— What? — I asked, mortified.
I slowly looked up to see a smug look from him, but by some miracle, he decided not to embarrass me and say that he knew what I was looking at.
Was I going to take advantage of that? Yep. I waved him to go ahead, realizing that he had taken off the wrap of his tattoo. A hint of color peeked out of his shirt sleeve.
— Come on. I'm not going to take it easy on old knees, so you better be able to keep up with me. — I called, making a point of provoking him.
Severus only growled in response.
As soon as we arrived at the park, I noticed Severus carefully examine our surroundings. He pointed his head at the edge of the forest bordering the urban park and I followed him, having no chance to ask why he was going there in the first place. As we reached the first row of thick logs, he finally spoke.
— You clearly do not remember that Minerva assigned us a training.
His words took me by surprise. It seemed like a lifetime ago, the day I rose in magic level and cried in Minerva's office at the threat of being relocated to the Ministry team. How could I forget that?
— I thought…
— That it would be necessary only if you had to flee? — He asked.
— Yes. — I confessed. — Do you and Minerva know something that I don't know? About the extinction of magic?
— We have not yet reached a consensus on why the magic disappeared. Our only certainty is that it is something too old to be fought with the spells we know. — Severus answered. — Training to access your knowledge of Ancient Magic is necessary, even if we manage to dodge the Ministry and you continue to Hogwarts.
— This training ... how do we know the purpose? — I asked quietly, fear pulling me into an unavoidable anxiety. — Will you train me just to access a power I do not know and you do not even know what we will be facing?
— The training is for you, Hermione. — He was incisive in his statement.
— For what, Severus? To make my newly reached magic level a spectacle? — I asked, annoyed that it brought more media attention on me.
He landed a finger on my chin lifting my head further and bringing his face closer to mine. His expression was serious, but his eyes were bright, in a way that passed his unwavering trust in me.
— I wish you to become who you were born to be, the heroine of Hogwarts. Now let's go! — He commanded, as if he had not, again, told me something so disconcerting.
Severus climbed a rocky mound towards the highest part of the forest, still shrouded by the morning mist. He spoke no more words until we had reached a clearing.
— Did you plan this? Is this why you offered to come with me? — I asked, curious that he knew about the existence of this place.
— Yes. Training you at Hogwarts would not work, nor near any magical location. When Minerva informed him that you would visit the Potters, I studied the location and found this place in the woods.
— You could have told me about it. — I grumbled slightly irritated.
— And lose the expression on your face when I offered to visit Potter? — he smiled ironically. — No, I don't think so. — I wanted to kill him. — We'll start with the Earth element. Go ahead and make the stones float around you.
— I didn't bring my wand. — I spoke exasperated.
— Wandless. You will summon the stones and float them around you. — He ordered it.
— I can't control the four elements without a wand. No one can.
— If I wanted an apology, I would ask one. Summon the stones. — Severus growled.
I didn't know how. I've always known about accidental magic by children and destructive magic by Obscurus, but I've never heard anything about mastering the ability to control my magic without focusing it with a wand, when it concerned the four elements. We study this in all the research we do at Hogwarts. He knows that.
— I hope you brought a snack, Severus, because we will stay here for a long time, if today's lesson depends on it.
His smile was subtle, but still all in professor Snape's way of being.
— Shut up that smart little mouth and summon a wall of stones around you.
A shudder ran through my body. Why did his order look so much like a threat?
— I can't! — I replied frustrated.
Then Severus attacked me. He summoned a rock around him and fired it at me. It went close to my left ear. I dodged that first one, the strands of my hair whipped in the wind and spun far enough in the opposite direction to avoid the second blow. However, Severus was annoyingly fast and relentless and without his wand in hand, I could barely notice his movements. They were so fast that I had no chance to dodge or anticipate the third rock. It crashed into my left thigh so hard, I lost my balance and fell.
I rolled, looking at the grey sky hovering above my head as I tried not to think of the pain echoing in my leg. Severus hung over me with his face closed in disgust.
— Summon them and stop mine from hitting you. — He hissed.
I let out a dead, depressing snitch even to my own ears.
— I can't! — I answered angrily. Why is Severus forcing me to do an impossible magic? — Do you think you can make me control one of the four elements by stoning me?
He grunted, crouching so that his face was close to mine.
— I've been in control of the four elements since the magic was gone. And I was one level below your current one, so the only explanation for your failure is that you have no control over yourself. No control and no discipline. Get up and try for real. — He spoke suddenly, standing again.
We trained for two whole hours. I couldn't levitate any stones.
— If you want to go somewhere, let me know. There's a taxi center we can call. — I told my supervisor at breakfast.
He leaned in his place, eating a hard-boiled egg. — No.
— Think about it, if you want. I'm going to do something with the grass first, and then I want to go to the mall to buy James a birthday present. It will be a few hours before I'm ready to go.
— Are you going to mow the lawn in the garden? Muggle style? — He asked, and I confirmed it with my head. Severus's eyes evaluated me, he was probably remembering when I told him yesterday that I avoid using magic in front of Ron. — I'll help you.
— You don't need…
— I want to. — He cut me.
— Severus, you really don't have to.
— I will help. — His tone was that the matter was decided.
I looked at him for a second. What a stubborn man!
— Okay, if you really want to.
I doubted he'd ever cut the grass in muggle style in his life, but I wasn't stupid enough not to accept help when it was offered. A few minutes later, we were outside, and he was helping me get Harry's lawn mower out of the garage and the scissors and gloves to remove weeds.
— Which do you prefer? — I asked him, since all our material was exposed.
He shrugged his shoulders, but looked at the lawn mower with interest and suspected that he had never seen one in his life. I was tempted to insist that I could do everything myself, but I couldn't. If he came with me to Bamburgh with the excuse that he "had nothing else to do," even though I now knew this was a lie, and had offered to help me, I would include him in the activities.
— Cut, and I take care of the corners and weeds. — I told him, making sure I wasn't giving him a look of pity. — All right?
His long fingers curled on the upper bar of the lawn mower, and he nodded. I handed him a pair of disposable earplugs, goggles, and a smile that was uplifting, and I made a mental prayer for us to go through it intact.
Severus Snape took almost two hours to mow the lawn around. He had to go three times through the same places to be able to cut and almost destroyed the engine when he did not empty the bag. It was my fault, I had not told him this information; but it was also his who had not asked me a single question, looking very proud of himself. Honestly, I felt like a mother leaving her son for the first time in preschool when I patted him on the back and greeted him for the "good job", before putting away the equipment.
An hour later, Severus had the same look he gave to the lawn mower in his eyes again.
— Have you ever come to a mall before? — I asked him, as we passed through the glass doors.
He kept his attention on everything around us. His hair was hidden by a baggy beanie that he had put on his head, and he had been considerate enough to put on a long-sleeved button-down shirt. With his hair and tattoo covered, we were quite confident that even if we met someone from the Wizarding World Press, he would not be recognized. I really hoped it would be so.
— Yeah, I've been to a mall before. — He muttered.
— Diagon Alley doesn't count. — I told him, referring to the magical street shops of London.
He looked at me. — I went to several muggle shopping centers. — He insisted. — A long time ago.
I laughed and shoved my arm down his elbow, gaining a little smile back. — Well, don't steal anything because I'm not going to bail you out, okay?
— Yes, urchin.
— Good. — I smiled excitedly and grabbed his wrist, pulling it in the direction of one of the shops I needed to visit. He thoroughly analyzed each store we went through, until I found one of the gifts I was looking for.
— What's next? — He questioned when I left the cashier.
— I thought of a new pair of sneakers. — I pointed at the store nearby. — Children of James's age grow very fast, so we have to buy new shoes for him all the time. And then, I thought of apparating to the Magic Gallery of the city. Do you mind a side-along apparition? — I asked, remembering that he had lost his license.
I could swear that he let out a sound of relief, knowing that we were going to visit some magical place. After the visit to the shoe store, we left the mall and entered the first empty alley that we found, I apparated straight to the small street of magical supplies in Bamburgh. As soon as we entered the Apothecary at the end of the street, the local employee came to us.
— Can I help you? — Asked the young man, looking at me with great interest, considering who I am, he probably recognized me.
I pointed to the shelf with Felix Felicis mini bottles.
— I need four of them, please.
The employee nodded in approval.
— We also have original size ones. — He offered, pointing to the 20ml bottles on the opposite side of the store.
— Single-dose only. — I smiled at him.
— The bigger ones are on sale buy two and take one free. — He went on.
— I'm fine, thank you, I'll only take the little ones, the most recently manufactured ones, please.
He shrugged his shoulders. — I'll take them in the storage, then.
Finally. I turned to see Severus holding a jar of love potion to his face with interest.
— Those are good. — I intruded.
His dark eyes turned away to mine, and he nodded accordingly.
— Did you find what you wanted? — He asked me, returning the bottle to the shelf.
— Yes. — I scratched my cheek and immediately narrowed my eyes to him. — The employee will bring them to me now. Have you found something you want? — I asked.
— Here. — The strange voice said behind me, a second before the employee came around and handed me the mini box with the four bottles.
— Perfect. I'll take them.
— Of course not. — Severus passed by my side.
— I'll take them. — I insisted to the young man, ignoring the man next to me.
— Granger, you're not going to buy that. — Severus insisted.
The employee looked back and forth between us, with a confused expression.
— I've been buying them for Harry and the kids since James was born. They wear it on a family fun day, so it's a special day. It is what they always love to receive. — I explained, avoiding his gaze.
— Granger. — His hand touched my elbow. — I get it for you for free. — He said in an exasperated tone that he used whenever I was being stubborn. — I have literally made it since I did my specialization. — His fingers pressed a little harder on the soft point on the inside of my elbow. — Don't buy it.
— You work in ... — the employee began to say, his eyes wide and very interested. But luckily, he wasn't paying enough attention to the man standing in front of him, otherwise he would have recognized him.
— Can you give us a second? — I cut him with an apologetic smile.
What could he say? "No"? Reluctantly, he nodded and walked away. I finally gathered my courage and faced Severus, who crossed his arms and stared me back. Patience, Hermione.
— Tell me why you don't want to let me buy them.
— I don't want you to spend money.
Oh, Merlin. — Severus, I will buy the "liquid luck" regardless of whether you make them or not. It's symbolic for me and Harry. — I did not want to open to him the wound that it was Felix Felicis who helped us at Hogwarts on the fateful night of Dumbledore's death and that today, we use the potion only for happy moments. No, I would not be insensitive to the point of saying that.
His jaw clenched and I noticed that his shoulders and biceps were tense.
— I can make any kind of potion that exists in the wizarding world and I have not paid for any bottle for more than twenty years. You shouldn't have to pay for any of them either. You are the greatest witch in all of Britain. — Every cell in my body froze. He noticed. — That's right, Hermione. You've been a hero since you were a teenager. People are the ones who should pay for you to consume their product. So, I'm not going to let you buy any bottle of potion with the money you work every day in that hospital, again saving the lives of others, to have. I already make it clear that not today, not tomorrow, not ever, you will need to buy a single bottle of potion. Not for you, not for Potter or whoever you want to gift, I don't care. — He freaked out. — I can get or make whatever you want, just tell me which one.
I opened my mouth to argue with him, but I couldn't. I stood there, staring at those bright eyes, with no idea how to responded to his explosion. His fingers reached my left wrist and it was already so familiar to me that touch, that even with his harsh and serious expression, I felt cared for and important to him.
— If you were the other way around, wouldn't you do the same thing? — He questioned.
Shit.
— Well, yes. — I confirmed resigned. — But I don't want to take advantage of you. I swear I didn't bring you along so you would feel forced to get them. I would have bought them in Diagon Alley, but... — I stopped talking when I noticed a change in body language.
Severus took a deep breath and when he looked at me, his firm indignation from before was no longer in his expression. He dropped my wrist and his hand went up to the side of my head and his fingers gently squeezed the lobe of my ear as he let out another deep breath, while I had completely lost my ability to move my lungs.
— You are... — My advisor shook his head and sighed. — No one will ever force me to do something I don't want. I've had a lot of that in my life, Hermione. Confirm to me that you are aware of this, please.
He looked me in the eye and knowing that, indirectly, he was reminding me that he was now a free man, after all the years he had to serve two Masters, made me, if possible, fall in love with him even more.
— Do you understand? — He insisted. His face now so open, that he looked younger at that moment.
— Yes. — I answered with a slightly weak voice.
Severus nodded. — You would do it for me, if our positions were reversed, I'm sure.
— Have you decided whether to take the bottles? — An unexpected voice asked behind me, cutting off our moment of exchange.
It took me a second to draw my eyes away from the black ones who were so close to mine. — I'm sorry for wasting your time, I will not take them anymore.
But the seller no longer paid attention to me. His gaze moved to Severus, much more interested. — You look familiar...
I hated being rude, but I grabbed Severus's wrist and took him out of the store, before the boy could analyze him more deeply. Once we were out, I dropped his wrist and smiled at him. Severus immediately pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, triggering a single key. Speed dial, I thought.
— I need you to send me Felix Felicis, four bottles. I'm in Bamburgh ... what's the address where we are? — He turned his attention to me and I recited the address of Harry's house. Severus repeated it to the person on the other end of the line. — I want them there tomorrow... And a sample of the one you sent me last week... Yeah, that one. Also four.
Severus just called, said what he wanted, and hung up. No thanks, no saying goodbye, nothing. After he finished putting the phone back in his pocket, he looked at me and frowned.
— What, Hermione?
— People do not get angry, how rude you are to them? — I asked exasperated.
— No.
— Never? — He did not deign to answer this time. — If I hung up the phone in someone's face like that, which I wouldn't do because it's not polite at all, they would swear at me. — I narrowed my eyes to him, thinking about his denial of people not getting angry. — If you hung up like that in my face, I would send you to fuck yourself.
— Oh yeah, I know you would. You practically sent me the shit for criticizing a fucking happy hour.
I couldn't help but smile at the dismissive tone with which he said it. Our epic discussions from before, now seemed a very distant point in our friendly relationship.
Much later that day, with the children properly put to bed, and Ron again locked in the room with them, without even coming down to greet me, the four of us played cards on the kitchen table.
— This is the worst card game I've played in my entire life. — I growled.
Severus looked at me from across the table and smiled smugly.
— You're being a bad loser.
Ginny and Harry nodded, from their points on either side of me. I looked at them both with an obvious surprise. Traitors!
— I'm not a bad loser. They keep giving me bad cards so they don't make you lose, just because you're a guest! — I accused, looking at Ginny angrily.
— To me, it seems that you do not know how to lose. — Severus said dryly, picking up the cards in the middle of the table to shuffle.
I made a choking noise and turned my attention to the mute man sitting next to me. Harry had said maybe five words in the last three hours.
He came home and found us watching one of my favorite episodes of House in the living room and said a single word: "Hi", gave me a kiss on the cheek and quickly retreated upstairs. We had eaten the dinner Ginny prepared, with him saying two others: "Mione" and " yes." And the last two words he said, were: "Ace" and "I hit " when he won one of the rounds.
Ginny, on the other hand, had decided that Severus was a good ally.
— Hermione never liked losing. — She watched as Severus slid a card in her direction, which she picked up with a smile. — When we were students, she made me play games repeatedly until she won. And she also never played a single game of chess with Ron, because she already knew that she would lose.
Ginny was right. I was petulant and competitive when I was younger.
— You are rallying against me. I'm just saying that it would be a much fairer game, if you two stopped making me take more cards each round.
Ginny smiled again when Severus handed her another card. — It's just a game, Hermione.
I made sure Severus saw the anger in my eyes when he handed me my next round of cards. It was never just a game.
At the end of our night of cards, Severus said goodnight to us and went into the room, and I immediately heard Harry's voice.
— I had a great time tonight.
— You? — I asked, incredulous.
He nodded seriously.
— Do you know how difficult it has been for me, not to tell anyone that Snape is staying at my house? My house, Hermione! Sleeping in my guest room, and mowing my lawn! And he's your friend. Friend! — Harry put his hand on his chest and took a deep breath. — He's someone I can ask for forgiveness for being unfair. It makes me good to know that he didn't die and I can somehow honor the hero he was. Bringing him was the best gift anyone ever gave me. — He paused and looked in the direction of the woman busy storing the dishes in the cabinets and lowered his tone of voice. — Don't tell Ginny that.
And he was completely serious at the end of the last sentence. I laughed, very happy that at least he was acting normal in front of me and interacting, even if very quiet, with Severus.
— Are you sure, Harry? I don't want you to feel weird.
— Am I sure? Of course I do. — He wrapped an arm over my shoulders and pulled me to his side. — I will remember this for the rest of my life.
I laughed and leaned toward him. He was happy just to have Severus at home, even though he didn't talk to him.
— Thanks for not telling everyone, Harry. — I thanked him.
He and Ginny had decided not to call the Weasleys to come to James's little celebratory dinner, and to throw a separate party for them only after Severus and I had left. Honestly, I was a little relieved. I really didn't want more and more people to know about our friendship.
— Do you think he would take a picture with me before you leave, for me to put along with the ones with everyone in the order?
— Yes. — He would. Even if I have to force him, I thought.
Harry nodded with pleasure and gave me another hug from the side.
— But you know that my love for you is greater than my fascination with Snape, don't you?
I nodded. — I know.
— And that I want to see you happy.
— I know, Harry.
— What he means is that both of you can use our guest room to practice how babies are made. — Ginny happily added, sitting on the chair in front of mine.
— Ginny! — I moaned embarrassed.
— What? — She smiled maliciously. — Friends can fuck.
Harry emphatically agreed with his head. — It's good to be married to my best friend.
— You two are terrible. Severus and I are not that kind of friends — I answered.
I was leaving the kitchen when I heard Ginny whisper audibly to Harry, the word "yet".
I walked through the closed door of the children's room and did not contain my sigh of annoyance with Ron. For a second, I mentally debated whether to knock on the door and say goodnight, but decided against it. We were going out for James's birthday dinner the next day and I needed him relaxed as much as possible so the celebration didn't turn into a nightmare.
When I entered the guest room, Severus was already in bed with the sheets pulled up to the middle of his stomach, his legs anchored and a laptop reclining against them. I grabbed my clothes and stuff from my backpack and went back to the bathroom to take a shower.
— Let's train in the morning. — He informed me from his place in bed, once I was back in the room.
— Only if you don't throw stones at me again. — I grumbled at him, putting the clothes I would wear in the morning on top of my backpack and turned to see him smiling at me. It was scary, because, on second thought, the other options were: drowning or setting myself on fire, as well as throwing myself in the middle of a hurricane. Not saying a word about my apprehension with training, I blinked and climbed into my bed.
— Thank you for helping me with the garden. Harry asked me to thank you.
— It was a pleasure. — Severus replied, looking calm and relaxed. This view of him was refreshing, in the absence of a better word.
I gave him a smile and sat, crawling under the covers, I had barely pulled them up to my chest when he spoke again.
— It was my first time using a lawn mower.
I knew! I didn't say that, of course, instead I let go of a very adult, "Oh, really?"
There was a pause before he continued.
— I liked it. It's kind of relaxing. I understand why it is one of your favorite hobbies.
Wait a second. I knew for a fact that I had never told Severus that gardening was one of my hobbies. There was no doubt in my mind that I had never mentioned this information.
— How do you know about my hobbies? — I asked him casually, making sure he was making a kind of confused expression.
— I looked about it. You have it in your profile. — He said without skipping a beat.
What? I sat down again and looked in the direction of his bed.
— Did you look? — I asked, feeling my heart racing in curiosity.
Even though I was on the other side of the room, I recognized that he nodded.
— Yes.
— ...Do you have a profile? In a Muggle social media? — I asked, stretching to look at the screen of his laptop, suddenly very interested in what he was looking at.
He looked at me side eyed.
— You'll get a stiff neck if you keep snooping like that.
Letting out an embarrassed laugh, I quickly got out of my bed and went to sit on the edge of his mattress, very interested.
— Do you use social media?
Severus looked at me. — Yes. — Then he added — I have a fake account.
— No! — I screamed, laughing.
— Yes. — He confirmed it.
— Can I see that?
Severus looked as if he wanted to deny my request, but finally nodded and a minute later handed me the computer. The blue and white page had "SS Prince" and no profile picture. Just an album with a few generic landscape images. His number of friends? Twenty. I looked at it over the laptop and felt my heart stop, just a little. Something watery concentrated in my throat as I returned the computer to him.
— I don't enter much, but you can add me as a friend if you want. — I offered in a wavering voice.
— Yes, it will be a pleasure — he said with a small smile, so I knew right away that he did not mean it like an idiot.
I looked at the screen again.
— Who else do you have of friends there?
— Some acquaintances, Draco. — He put my name in the search and once my page came up. — You.
It was my turn to access a tab on his computer and accept his invitation. As soon as I returned the computer, he was already busy browsing my profile.
— Are you always so curious? — I asked.
He grumbled, clicking on my main page and scrolling it down, browsing my scraps and then photos. He didn't say anything while looking at them all, until he suddenly stopped rolling.
— Did you date? — He asked.
I didn't remember ever posting photos of Ron on the muggle network, but, there we were. Me on his lap and him with his arm around my waist.
— Right after the war. It didn't last long. — I explained to him, while wondering how Severus might not know about me and Ron, if we were news in the newspapers almost weekly while we were together.
He continued his review of the photos, as I again felt sad that I had not tried to talk to Ron anymore since I arrived. We were childhood friends and he had been the exact person I needed and wanted back then.
— How long were you together? — He asked, since he had scrolled all the pictures.
— Almost two years.
— And he's still an idiot. — He said in his annoying tone of who was making an obvious statement.
It took me a moment to understand what came out of his mouth, but it made me laugh as it finally took effect. I touched him with my elbow.
— You're rude. He was not an idiot, he was very nice.
His black eyes scanned me and didn't look fun at all. In fact, his jaw was tight and he looked a little irritated.
— Are you defending him? — It seemed like he couldn't believe it.
— Yes. He was very nice. And he's the only man I've ever dated seriously, Severus. We would probably still be together, if I wanted to have children as soon as this was suggested by the wizarding community. — His head completely turned to me. — What? — I asked, surprised by his expression.
— Did you get back together? — His voice was so low that I could not understand, and I gave him a strange look.
— Yeah, but I couldn't be serious anymore. He resents the magic. And he also stays with a lot of women since we split up. I'm not one of those girls who think men who have slept with dozens of women are sexy. I don't like the idea that many of them know what the penis of someone I love looks like. Do you like it?
A muscle in Severus's jaw jumped out and he completely looked away from mine, but he didn't answer me. Then I realized that he could be one of these men and have felt offended.
— No offense to you. It's your business, what you decide to do with yourself. I am who I am old fashioned and picky and that is probably the reason I haven't been in a relationship since. I couldn't bear to know that dozens of people know the sounds my partner makes when he climaxes. — I noticed his eye twitching definitely at that moment, and I felt bad that I was, apparently, calling him a wanton. — Look, I'm sorry, Severus. It's not like I can't be intimate with someone I don't love, there's nothing wrong with that. Only on a large scale, it's not really for me.
His eye twitched again and I didn't lose the way he bit hard and made his cheek bend.
— What is it? — I asked when he didn't say anything.
He laid his head back leaning it against the wall and closed his eyes, his fingers from his right hand going to the tip of his nose. He inhaled, exhaled and repeated the movement three more times. What the hell is wrong with him?
— Severus, are you ok? — I asked, worrying that he was going through indigestion.
He opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling above us.
— Stop talking about sex! — He growled, angry.
Oh, Merlin!
— Okay. Sorry. I didn't know you were a puritan. — I commented holding the urge to laugh.
He choked, looking at me incredulously. I waited for him to make another comment, but nothing came out of his mouth. I hadn't really thought of him as a person who would be offended so easily by the word sex, that it hadn't even come out of my mouth. Then I didn't understand why he was so twisted and out of himself. When he continued to say nothing and looked up again, I nervously decided to change the subject, even though he did not meet my gaze.
— Are you ready to sleep?
— I'm going to stay up and watch a movie here. — He explained, gesturing to the laptop. I could not see his face when he spoke again, before I commented something. — Would you like to watch?
Was I exhausted by morning training and our day of activities? Yep. But...
— Of course, at least until I start to doze off. — I agree.
He slid down an entire centimeter and brought his upper body closer to me, close enough that our elbows were touching. Severus supported the notebook on his bent knees and I pulled the hem of my t-shirt between my thighs before fixing the pillow on my back and relaxing on the bed, leaning a little of my shoulder on his biceps.
— What are we going to see? — I asked.
It was a newly released suspense thriller, interesting, but I think I probably watched only twenty minutes of film, before falling asleep with the warmth of his body on one side, even though the barrier of the sheet she had pulled over herself and the comfortable bed below me. I was woken up by the sounds of the final action of the film to find that my bent knees had fallen and were resting on Severus's hip and my shirt had somehow slipped off my legs and displayed a good portion of the tiny pajama shorts. One of my hands was resting on his chest and the entire right side of my body was shrunken on his left side.
I tried to act naturally with the intimacy of the position we were in and sat down at the same time as he let out a yawn of sleep.
— I'm going to bed. — I muttered drowsy. — Good night, Severus.
He brushed his thumb on my palm, before letting me out.
— Sleep well, Hermione.
I think I may have fallen asleep with a smile on my face at the thought of the warmth of his finger as he told me to sleep well.
Final Notes
Second part of the chapter of their trip. Severus finally revealed the reason he came along and we had more of this slow burn that is killing me with anxiety. Next week, we have the third and final part of this weekend away.
I used the poetic license again to suggest that Orkut was a social media used at the time of this story.
Translation by Jessinthedungeons.
