"Severus?" She said softly, looking into his eyes.

His warmed as he looked upon her.

"I love you...but you stink"

After a quick perimeter run, Hermione was confident enough to use a very mild cleaning charm over his body, and then use a small amount of water to damp a cloth for the rest. She hadn't been bathing him, despite the fever sweats as she had no intention of casting any magic close to him when he could've been turning, nor did she want to waste the water when they were stuck in the house for an indefinite amount of time. He would still be housebound for a couple of days at least as he got over the worst of the infection, so they still didn't want to use all of the water they had stored in the house.

They couldn't stop touching each other. A hug, a kiss or a simple hand on the shoulder. They were both all too aware of how close they had come, twice now, to losing him. Both times as he put himself between them and danger. There was a heat in her eyes as she looked at him, and It went unsaid between them that there would be no more risk taking, not until they had truly known each other.

Sam refused to leave his side, tucked into Severus ribs he was showing him some of the picture books he had acquired from their last trip, along with the drawings he'd attempted. Including one of Severus himself, that in the typical childhood way, was less than flattering of his person. However Samuel had drawn it for him, and showed him it proudly with a smile, so Severus of course remarked greatly over his skill as Hermione, tucked into his other side, smiled warmly at the pair of them.

They ate a small meal and Hermione settled Sam to bed, much to his reluctance. The boy was falling asleep on his feet, but hadn't wanted to leave Severus's side. It was only through Hermione's insistence that Severus would still be here in the morning, that she finally got the boy to settle down. Severus himself could not believe how exhausted he was. He'd only been awake for a few hours and had done nothing except lay prone in bed and wax lyrical over Sam's artistic ability,of the drawing that had him looking like the bastard lovechild of Dracula and Pinocchio.

Hermione tucked herself into bed beside him, and wasted no time at all in situating herself into his arms. For his part he held her as tightly as he could, breathing in the scent of her hair, of her. She placed soft kisses upon his chest and neck, and he felt the few tears that silently leaked from her eyes. When they heard Sam's breathing slow and knew he was asleep, she reached up and began to kiss him properly.

She kissed him with a desperation, born of the relief she must be feeling after the torturous days he'd put her through as he teetered between life and death. Strange that something as small as a finger, could've been the death of him.

He desperately wanted her, desperately wanted to be with her. And he could tell from the burning passion in her eyes, that she was desperate to break out the condoms she'd pilfered and put them to good use. It was no good though, as the sickness had drained his energy and even if his life depended on it, he didn't think he could summon enough energy to make love to her that night.

It didn't matter though, as soon her soft warm hands were moving from their position on his chest, lower until they were playing with the sparse soft hairs around his groin. He groaned desperately at her actions, feeling the swelling at his crotch as her hand teased him just a few scant inches away from where he desperately needed her to be.

At that point he was ready to mount her even if it ended up killing him, and just as he was about to attempt to get his leg over, she pushed a little on him, making him settle back into the bed with a questioning expression.

"Let me take care of you, for one more night" She whispered, and then her hands were slipping below the waist of pants.

He groaned as her small hand, wrapped around his straining organ and began to stroke him to perfection. If he didn't already know she was a witch, he would've known it in that moment, for there was no other word for what she was doing to him, other than magical. The way she stroked him with the perfect rhythm and pressure. She squeezed him just right, and the flick of her wrist on the upstroke around his sensitive head, made him see stars. He was aware that he was panting now, sweating again and undoing their hard work earlier but neither of them seemed to care. She threw a possessive leg over his, until she was straddling and sitting on his thighs, as she pushed his underwear down to his thighs so he was exposed to her. Her other hand slipped down to cradle the heavy weight of his sack as she continued to stroke him in a devastating rhythm. All his self control was absent, as he lay like a fool, slack-jawed and staring at her with open lust and admiration as she straddled him and jerked him to completion.

It was only a hand job, something he'd received from her countless times before but somehow it was just more. Her own eyes were dark and hooded with passion, as she alternated between watching his awestruck face, and staring at his rigid cock and heavy balls. He was lost when he heard her softly moan, and felt his balls drawing up. She tugged on his sack, resisting their ascent and allowing him to marginally prolong his orgasm. When he came his cock jerked in her hand, and his vision swam as he jerked pulse upon pulse of his essence over her hands and his chest, the result of two weeks abstinence while he was rolling around in delirium.

Throughout his climax she continued to pump his cock until he was totally spent and had nothing left to give her, holding on to his rigid organ until it slackened in her hand. Her other was gently rolling his balls and he shuddered in pained pleasure at the over-sensitisation as little aftershocks continued to ripple through him. When he was truly done, she grabbed the damp clothe from earlier and wiped him down once more.

Once clean, he reached for her but she pushed him back to the bed. "Sleep, conserve your energy, I just wanted to help you relax my love" She kissed him gently and he responded with gratitude for the reprieve, for as much as he would've loved to give her a good seeing to, he was well and truly knackered.

"Tomorrow?" He asked, murmured it into the skin of her neck as he kissed it sensuously.

It was a loaded question and they both knew it, she didn't need any more explanation.

If the heat in her gaze as she responded was anything to go by.

"Gods Yes."