A Laundry basket or no Laundry basket?

Author's note: The title will make sense soon …

July 2002, Cokeworth, Spinner's End

Hermione was wiping her brow. It was stifling hot in Severus Snape's basement laboratory but the young Arithmancer was glad to have the opportunity to try her new theory with the best available Potions master, oppressing heat or not. And she had missed Snape's wit, having spent the last four years in America at the wizarding side of the MIT. After the war and the spy's miraculous survival they had worked with each other on putting a true and unbiased account of the Second Vold War together, as the Ministry of Magic was already working on their own spin of events. Snape had come to respect his young colleague and Hermione had learned to let her inner Potions master out more. As she learned to use sarcasm as a way to blow off steam she became much less frustrated in some aspects of her life. Finding clever ways to describe her then boyfriend's table manners was a given over the first coffee on Monday morning in the library. And it enabled Hermione to tolerate the more irritating traits of the people around her more easily. It didn't save her crumbling relationship with Ron Weasley though.

Now she was living in Massachusetts with Peter Arakawa, an Ancient Runes Master at the MIT, a brilliant and quiet man who cared about her deeply. The only thing that held Hermione back from reacting to his subtle hints about marriage was the memory of her father. Mr Granger had gone along with every silliness his little girl had conceived, he had loved his daughter above everything and had instilled in her an unshakeable sense of self-worth. The young Arithmancer could not picture Peter blowing raspberries on the belly of a giggling child, doing the voices for the hundreth time when reading a story book, letting a little girl paint make-up on his face or go around the living room on all fours, being a horse to your child's cowboy even if the knees protested a lot. Hermione was not sure whether Peter could put the quiet researcher away.

Severus was putting a Time Charm on the potion, it would have to sit for the quarter of an hour before Hermione could apply her charm devised via an Arithmantic formula. She made the way up the stairs and had the door to the living room open already when the Potions master stopped her. Years ago, in a situation like this they would have had tea in the sitting room or the kitchen or even on the garden stoop and discussed everything from new theories to the general stupidity of the people around them.

"I will make tea down here. Caroline isn't fond of the smell of potions and ingredients in the house."

Hermione could not supress her reaction to that.

"But she's living with a Potions master!" She had met Caroline Harrington briefly before starting to brew with Severus and had not thought further about the woman's presence in Snape's den. To bring him to the point where he had tea in his laboratory – a big no-go from a First year's potions lesson – Hermione wondered about this woman. She went down the stairs again. There was a small niche of wizarding space that hadn't been there before, complete with warding and ventilation spells and tea-things. Severus pressed a cup into her hand, he still remembered how she took it.

"One has to compromise in a relationship or so, I am learning."

"Well yes, one has, obviously. But – " Hermione stopped herself. It was not her place to talk about a relationship she knew nothing about.

"Don't hold back. I do not have any bosom friends to talk about it and neither the traditional pure-blood marriages I observed in my compatriots nor my parents' marriage is a reliable reference. I even ventured into Foyles for some books on it."

Hermione had to stifle a laugh.

"No, Severus, Muggle relationship books won't be of any use to you. Tell me about Caroline."

"She's a writer and historian and I met her as she interviewed me about our book. You were in America already by then. I was surprised when she contacted me after the article had been published. It went from there. Caroline is a very staid and controlled person, I craved that after the war. It still gives me peace that we have a very ordered life together. What did you want to say before?"

Neither noticed the frozen woman standing at the open door on the top of the stairs. She had to strain her ears to understand what they were saying.

"How can she be so much against the smell of potions and ingredients and living with a Potions master? You smell like potions even if you are not brewing. That would be if my partner said he can't stand formulas, or ink. It would feel like a rejection of me as a whole to me."

"It sounds harsh if you put it like that. But Caroline had to make amends as well. She was using "Opium" since her twenties and stopped it because I literally could not stand the smell. She even has had to replace some of her favourite dresses because they were saturated with that perfume."

"So put a laundry basket next to the basement stairs where you can put your brewing clothes in, and a hook for a dressing gown."

"I proposed exactly that. Too much of `offensive nudity´ apparently. No dangly bits during tea time."

"Oh Severus! You can't have much fun in bed together, can you? Don't do this and I won't do that and always keep the lights out!"

"As I do not have much comparison I am quite content, thank you. Not that it's any of your business."

"Being a very brain-driven person myself I can tell you from personal experience that it is important to have a fulfilling sex life. My magic became much smoother and I am more in tune with magic itself."

"My sex life is fine, drop it."

"All right. But you are not as happy as you could be."

"Wrong. I am much happier than I could have wished for."

"Ok. Still I think you should talk about it. You are obviously very fond of Caroline and prepared to go out on a limb to make it work between you two. And if you live with her I can't imagine her being an egotistical maniac either, therefore something other is at the root of her demands. You could both profit a lot by working through these issues."

"Granger, Granger, still so innocent. Can't you imagine that sometimes it is better to let sleeping dogs lie? That it is better to be content and quietly happy instead of opening a can of worms and destroying everything? I am a spy and I am no moron. Of course there is something in Caroline's life that made her the way she is, same as in mine. If she wants to tell me about it she will. Until then it is neither my nor your business!"

Hermione held up her hands in a placating manner.

"You are right, sorry, I have severely overstepped my bounds. Again."

She was safed by the ringing of the potions timer. Upstairs a shaken Caroline withdrew to the kitchen, putting the now cold tea on the table. While their guest had overstepped her bounds in a terrible manner she had guessed quite right. Caroline did not like herself as the nagging housewife, as the prissy, clinical neat freak. But she feared what would happen if she gave in to her urges. The first time Sev had sat down for tea in the sitting room, naked under his dressing gown, face flushed as much from the heat of brewing as from the pleasure of having done what he loved, smelling of potion fumes and his very own sweat, she wanted to jump him here and there. Caroline wanted to straddle her lover, to bury her nose in his armpits, to lick every inch of his body, to bring him to the brink with her mouth and then to ride him with abandon. Never even during their first encounters, which had been thrilling enough for two unexperienced, antisocial persons as the two of them, had her desire for Severus risen so sharply, so poignant and clear.

As always when something rocked her equanimity deeply Caroline withdrew to the safety of the strict ways of thinking drilled into her as a child and young woman. She blustered and blundered and asked Severus not to sit around half naked. Caroline's mother had been a Muggleborn witch from a deeply religious Calvinist community in the Hebrides which had promptly disowned her for her satanic ways. Mrs Harrington had eventually embraced being a witch but had never managed to shake off the repressing moral codes conveyed by her upbringing. Singing, giggling, skipping, running, dancing, all of these young Caroline might have done was met by a frown from her mother, molding her into a woman very much out of touch with her body. She had tried to rebel, even going so far as `living in sin´ with a man, which was why her mother did no longer speak with her, but she doubted that Severus even realised how far she had already come.

She might be a woman out of touch with her body, but Caroline was a highly intelligent one. And as offending Granger's probing was, the witch was right. The historian very much wanted to stay with Severus, probably even raise a family with him. She was quite sure that he held her in high regard and she was also aware of how much he had to leave his comfort zone to accommodate her whims. It seemed that some talking was in order. Until the chit was gone back to the States Caroline might even amuse herself with that discreet mail-order lingerie site she had found on the Muggle internet. There were some quite tasteful ensembles on it.

A week later the couple was enjoying a leisurely breakfast on Sunday. After swapping the Times for the Daily Prophet Caroline let Severus start on the crossword. They would finish it together. During their courtship they had sometimes done a race. While Severus did not like to lose he had been very pleased to meet someone who was sometimes even faster than he himself.

Putting the newspaper down she looked her partner over. He had not yet shaven. Sometimes Caroline wondered how stubble would feel against her skin. Severus always came to bed freshly showered and with smooth skin. Some of her thoughts must have shown on her face because he put his pen down, raising a questioning eyebrow. He had promised early on never to use Legilimancy on her and she believed him. Caroline, who had been a Ravenclaw at Hogwarts eight years below Severus, thus narrowly missing him as a very young Potions master, decided to take the bull by the horns.

"Severus, I have to tell you something."

For a moment Caroline was taken aback by the joyful gleam that had appeared in Severus' eyes for a second. What was he hoping she would tell him?

"Most men dread these words." He put the newspaper down, he only read the sports section out of habit.

"You, my love, are not most men." The corner of his mouth twitched and he steepled his hands under his chin.

"Do tell, Caroline."

She had to draw breath twice before being able to start.

"Please do not interrupt me, I might not be able to go on if you do. – I overheard Granger and you talking about a week ago. I realised that I should have told you why I did not want you to sit down to tea in your dressing gown. The reason is –, the reason was – blast! I cannot do this!"

As expletives went that one might be a mild one but it was the first time Severus heard his lover swear.

"Caroline, I am sorry you had to hear that! Hermione was dreadfully intrusive, she has no right to even think such things about us."

"Indeed. But she said something right: if I force you to leave the Potions master downstairs that could feel like a rejection to you. That was never my intention. Most of the time the smell of brewing doesn't bother me at all, it's about once a month that you are brewing a potion that turns my stomach."

"Just a second!"

Severus ran down to his laboratory, came back with a container and carefully sent a little whiff from it towards her. Caroline shuddered.

"That's the one."

"Mhm. That is the one ingredient of the Wolfsbane potion responsible for the potion's dreadful taste. Some people are quite sensitive to it. I need it only once a month."

He closed the container and looked at Caroline expectantly. She drew a deep breath. She could do this.

"Severus, you know the basics of my family history but I haven't told you some details which are necessary to understand my reaction to the situation then. My mother, while having made peace with her being a witch, raised me like she had been raised – very strict, with lots and lots of outright and not spoken of rules of how a proper, demure girl had to behave. Singing or laughing was frowned upon, running and jumping was unbecoming. Neither joy nor grief was shown. If I tried to change my hairstyle or pinched my cheeks to make them appear less pale Mother made me feel like a cheap harlot. You know me, I never did anything remotely brazen, I just let some ringlets escape my braid. But it was enough for her. When I was sent to collect our goats I used to take a remote route back towards our bothy and when I was alone I sang, I jumped and ran. I opened one or two buttons on the top of my dress, hiked up my skirts and relished the feeling of wind on my legs and grass under my toes. I guess you are too much of a gentleman to ask outright how a woman of thirty could be as inexperienced as I in sex. Before I met you I had a total of three encounters, all of them quite meaningless and very unsatisfying. I slept with those men to rebel, to show myself that I could do it. By the time we met I was resigned to having either none at all or a very bland sex-life. My first orgasm ever was with you."

She looked away, cheeks bright red. During her story Severus had drawn his chair nearer and was now slowly stroking her hands.

"I remember being very frightened by your tears." This drew a shaky laugh from Caroline.

"I hadn't known that it could be like this, I felt like I had been hit by a freight train."

He looked insecure, "You haven't cried since during sex. You were satisfied, I hope?"

"Oh, yes, love." Caroline blushed even more, her skin breaking out in red splotches.

"Caro?"

"I might as well tell you. After that first glimpse of what sex could be I did some research."

"Naturally, you are a scientist. Do tell." Severus' uncertain smile was replaced by a smirk.

"Must you make me spell it out? I experimented!"

Her lover looked thoughtful.

"I remember. You gave me some subtle hints as to what pleased you especially. Very subtle they were. If you were in a relationship with for example a Gryffindor Quidditch player he would not have noticed. Thankfully your lover is a Slytherin former spy."

"Severus, I am forever thankful that we met. But I fear we digressed." Caroline drew another breath and could not look Severus into the eyes.

"That day, when you came up from the basement in your dressing gown, eyes sparkling and cheeks flushed from work well done, I – oh, Severus, this is so embarrassing!"

He tensed and Caroline rightly feared that her lover would take her hesitancy the wrong way.

"Dearest, I wanted to jump you there and then! I wanted to tear open that dressing gown, take you in my mouth – I got frightened by my own desire, clammed up and hid behind my prissiness! I am so sorry for hurting you!"

Severus was on his knees before her, insecurity gone and replaced by an unholy smirk.

His hands drew her knees apart and Caroline felt the wandless spell that banished her knickers.

"Caroline, I may have behaved gentlemanly, but do know, I am very far from a gentleman. I will stop when you tell me so however." She could only answer with a drawn out sigh before he had hitched the skirt of her dress and had buried his head between her thighs. The historian may have uttered `stop´ a few times during the next half an hour only to follow it up with `no no no´ and `harder, Severus, harder´. Much later, Sev's knees had demanded a continuation of their activities in a proper bed, Caroline drew lazy circles on her lover's back. Then she remembered.

"Love, when I started our conversation you looked very happy for a second. May I enquire why?" He tensed, then took refuge between her breasts. When one hand ghosted over her belly she guessed his reason. Severus finally looked into her eyes.

"I was hoping you'd tell me you're pregnant. It was fleeting, actually I would prefer we talk about this beforehand, but right in that moment, the vision of your belly swelling with our child-"

"Hush, Severus, it is all right. I have been thinking about children as well." Caroline may have wanted to say more but her lover was already jumping out of the bed naked as he was and looked for something in his robe pockets. He came over to her side of the bed and dropped down on one knee.

"Caroline Ruth Harrington, will you do me the great honour of becoming my wife?"

"Oh, Severus! Yes, of course I will marry you!"

It was an old ring of rose-coloured gold with a small opal.

"It is one of the few things my mother had taken with her when her family cast her out, it was her grandmother's. We can look for a different ring if you do not like it."

"It is lovely on its own and if it means a lot to you that is all the more reason to wear it with pride." The newly engaged couple kissed in a leisurely manner before hunger drew them downstairs again. Breakfast had been interrupted after all. Over lunch Caroline wondered, "But you brew all my potions and you are the foremost Potions master in Europe – I cannot be pregnant, right?"

"As I said, it was a fleeting thought. And with magic everything is possible. The potion you are using is an improved recipe of mine, developed for Molly Weasley after the birth of their third. It is tested and it works, yet still Molly and Arthur were blessed with four more children."

"Seven might be a too many for our lifestyle but two or three? I might need a reminder how they come about, right now I cannot remember."

Her fiancée reminded Caroline all right. They were married three weeks later at Cokeworth's registry. Their life did not change a lot, still well-established routines were observed. But their love-life grew exponentially more adventurous, and Caroline's new lingerie got modelled quite a lot. Sometimes a certain kind of swing of her hips alerted her husband to the fact that she went commando, which led to quite kinky situations all over the house. And Severus relished in coming up from the lab in just his dressing gown.

Even if the Snapes bought the neighbour's house when they were expecting their second child shenanigans in the kitchen or on the staircase came to a halt until their youngest boarded the train to Hogwarts. Mrs Harrington eventually spoke to her daughter again but the relationship stayed at arm's lenght as Severus and Caroline had not married in a church.

Fin