Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything connected to it. Just playing.
Summary: On a silent evening, Severus Snape muses on the things he didn't use to have and how different the circumstances were now.
The Lasting Sort
by WolkenundSonnenschein
All his life, Severus Snape couldn't claim to possess a lot of things. Even time solely for himself had been hard to come by. Such was his lot in life as a youth in Cokeworth, a situation further exacerbated during his tenure as Potions professor, swamped as he was with his school and spying duties. Time, relaxed and silent evenings, peace of mind. All those were in short order in those twenty odd years. Even his only childhood friend he had failed to keep.
~o0o~
Now that Voldemort was gone and he was no longer on duty at the castle, his time was very much his own. Except for the times when a curly-haired Gryffindor came visiting.
He had relaxed and silent evenings, except when this intelligent former student of his stubbornly insisted, that those evenings were better spent in company. Then she made a point of and didn't make much of a fuss in choosing to spend the time with him. At his home.
He had peace of mind, except when this same persistent woman bared herself to him. Then what followed were restless days and sleepless nights thinking of her, of what she was offering him.
For long before he even knew what was happening, she already had him in her clutches, body and soul. When he realised it, processing everything took a long time and not without the help of a few well-meaning acquaintances, Lily's son numbering among them. Though he already had an inkling at the back of his mind, he tried to deny the rightness of being with her, until he no longer could. And this time, he knew, he was giving in, giving of himself and accepting her most willingly.
~o0o~
For all that he had lacked before, to say that he possessed and, in turn, was himself being possessed by Hermione Granger was something he was definitely most thankful for. And that made his time more precious, his once again relaxed and mostly silent evenings a catalyst for bringing him the peace of mind he had once sought, which was now looking to be of the more lasting sort.
A/N: I asked a friend to give me a one-word prompt and this here is the result. Thanks for taking the time to read!