February 1980
Florence had just started her second year as a student in St Mungus, but the Healer-in-charge, Prof. Smethwyck, had already sent her to work in the hospital, he said she didn't need to learn the theories anymore, she needed to practice.
Not to mention that the hospital was in need of more healers, for the war was getting worse and every day aurors and death eaters alike arrived in need of medical attention. Some had such extensive wounds that they arrived there just to die within hours.
Every time a death eater arrival was announced, letting the healers know their patient would arrive surrounded by aurors, Florence waited nervously by the elevators, fearing that it could be Severus and he'd just get there to die in front of her.
"We should be thanking our new Minister, Millicent Bagnold, for all this extra work," said Healer-in-training Arnold, bitterly, as they were getting their things in the Healers' locker room after having cared for five death eaters that afternoon.
"Why do you say that?" asked Piper, another healer.
"She has made it easier for one to become an auror," explained Florence, as she opened up her locker, "My boyfriend has applied to become one and he was easily accepted. But believe me when I say that he, for sure, wouldn't have the grades to get into the program otherwise."
"You're dating the Black's heir, right?" asked Piper, smiling, "He's hot!"
Florence just smiled at her, not adding any information. Her relationship with Sirius was just for show – at least on her part – she didn't want to talk about him more than the extremely necessary.
She had tried to break up with him more than once already, for she thought it wasn't fair to him to be tied to her, unable to have a real girlfriend, a woman that loved and desired him, just to help maintain her lie.
But Sirius always replied that he didn't mind, that he was sure if he were around long enough Florence would love and desire him, one day.
She sighed, the truth was that she didn't even bother to be around him anymore, he was too childish for her liking.
The twins loved their Uncle Padfoot of course, he was a fun-loving man who always had chocolate on his pockets – he was truly great with them.
He was unable to register the boys as his since he and Florence weren't married (some Marriage Law that protected the Sacred Twenty-Eight from gold-diggers); but he accepted being Nick's godfather, treated them like they were his nephews and loved both kids with all his heart.
Regarding their relationship as a couple, Florence had already given up trying, she didn't even let him kiss her lips anymore, for she didn't see the point; her body didn't react to his touches and her mind wasn't stimulated by their conversations.
Everyone already believed that he was her sons' father – and that was all she needed.
March 1980
Florence was tired; her day at the hospital had been filled by injured aurors, death eaters and muggles; she had had to obliviate quite a few people that day and that demanded a lot of energy.
She had picked up her kids at the Day Care centre at five-thirty and gone through their night routine as usual; first they played together, then they had dinner, she gave them baths and around nine put them to bed, singing for them to sleep.
Florence was walking out of the twins' bedroom, still dressed in jeans and a sweater, considering skipping the shower and just changing into her pyjamas before falling in bed.
But then her doorbell rang.
She stopped in the upstairs corridor, frowning; it was late for anyone to be paying her a visit. Dumbledore usually sent her a Patronus message before showing up at such late hour.
Florence slowly walked downstairs, wand in hand, replaying all the wards she had cast around the house and who she knew that was powerful enough to break through them within the next minutes.
Father is the only one.– and that wasn't a reassuring thought.
Florence reached the living room, finding Tiffany and Mel there, both looking at the door angrily instead of fearful.
"Who is it?" she asked the elves, "Do you know?"
Tiffany looked at Florence, frowning, "It's the-one-we-hate."
"And Melody smells blood," added the other elf.
"What?" Florence's heart almost stopped inside her chest and she ran towards the door, ordering her house-elves: "Go to the twins' room and protect the boys, look after them in case they wake up."
Tiffany didn't move, she looked at Florence disapprovingly, "Mistress shouldn't-"
"You have your orders, Tiffany!" Florence shouted.
And the elf followed Melody upstairs and into the boys' room, doing as she had been told, but not hiding she didn't like that.
Florence opened the front door.
"Severus!" she gasped as she saw him lying on her porch, unconscious, blood and mud stains on his face and clothes.
She fell onto her knees beside him, looking around her front yard, and casting: "Homenum revelio," just to be sure there was no one else out there that could report back to her father.
There was no one for her to hex and obliviate.
Then she tried to pull Severus into the house – which quickly proved impossible for he was much too heavy for her.
So she used magic to float him inside, taking him to one of the guest rooms upstairs.
She put him on a clean bed and assessed his injuries, her medical training, albeit not yet complete, coming forth to her mind as she ran her wand over his body, finding out whatever was wrong with him.
"Oh, Sev. What have you got yourself into?" Florence whispered when she saw he had been attacked by numerous spells, had significant internal bleeding due to three broken ribs and possibly a concussion.
She quickly fixed his ribs with Brackium emendo; and the pain of suddenly having his bones back in place had him groaning.
"That's a good sign," she whispered to the empty room.
Next she stopped the internal bleeding with a handful of Vulnera sanenturs and then checked his head injury.
He had been kicked in the right temple and at the back of his neck – both potentially dangerous places to receive hard blows. She checked for a concussion, any signs of bleeding or brain-swelling and let out a relieved sigh when he had none.
She went to the corridor bathroom and got two vials from her medicine cabinet, going back to the room and rubbing the contents of one to his lips, applying drops from the second vial onto his bruises afterwards.
She checked him all over once again with her wand, but he seemed to be stable.
Then she took a moment to just breathe, calming her racing heart down, before working on removing his dirty clothes by hand; first his boots, then his pants, next his sweater and undershirt.
Once he lay on the bed only in his boxer briefs, she cast Limpo non aqua, to clean up his body, and sat beside him, touching his face, unable to hold in the tears any longer.
She could've lost him that night – another ten minutes without medical care and the internal bleeding would've killed him.
He could've died right there on her frontsteps, in her arms.
She let out a sob and touched her nose to his hair, inhaling the scent that was all him: oak, parchment, cinnamon to name a few, the other scents overpowered by potions and blood.
Florence wondered who could've done such extensive damage to him, clearly his attacker was taking no prisoners and wanted him dead.
Probably aurors then.
Fuck.
If the aurors were behind Severus' wounds, they would certainly still be looking for him and that meant Florence couldn't keep him there for she could be put on trial for helping him if they ever found out he had gone there.
As Severus was still unconscious, there was only one way to know for sure who had attacked him; taking her wand from the nightstand, Florence sent Dumbledore a Patronus message: "What can you tell me about any attacks on Death Eaters in the last 24 hours?"
Then she lay down beside Severus, caressing his face again, touching his lips with her fingers.
She loved him, and she wasn't going to simply hand him to the aurors, for they'd either kill him or sent him to Azkaban.
So he had to go, as soon as he was able to walk.
After a few quiet moments, the bedroom door was slowly opened, "Does Mistress Flor need anything?" it was Melody.
"Yes, Mel," Florence sat up, thinking what she needed to do the next day, "I need you to pop to Eileen's and ask her to pick up the boys here tomorrow morning to take them to the day care centre. Don't say anything about Severus. I must hear from Dumbledore before anyone else learns that he's here."
Melody nodded and disapparated.
Soon after Mel left, Florence received an answer from Dumbledore: "Aurors ambushed a large Death Eater group, Evan Rosier and Wilkes are dead. Igor Karkaroff has been captured and word on the street is Severus escaped, but barely alive."
Florence sighed once the Patronus Phoenix disappeared. The Headmaster had just confirmed that keeping Severus there was risky, even if just for the night.
But as she looked at him, sleeping so peacefully, his long hair all over the pillow – the exact same hair she washed everyday on the two little heads that slept three doors down – she knew she couldn't let him leave as soon as he opened his eyes, he needed to recover.
Sonshe accepted that he wasn't going anywhere that night.
She lay down beside him, entwining one hand with his left one, feeling glad that he had gone to her.
And before sleep had claimed her, Florence realised that, that night, for the first time ever, their little family slept safely under the same roof.
Severus woke up slowly, feeling a soft bed under his body, but not recognising the room he was in.
Fuck, have the stupid aurors caught me before I disapparated?
He moved his right hand, noticing it wasn't shackled anywhere, then he tried his left one, but there was something holding it, he turned his head to the side, afraid to find it tied to the bedpost.
Florence. he sighed in relief.
She was asleep beside him on the bed, his left hand being held between her two.
Then he remembered apparating to Hogsmeade and falling on her porch.
Severus moved onto his side to better look at her, grimacing at the soreness he felt on his ribs; then he touched her face.
He missed her so much; her absence was nearly a physical pain.
He loved her.
When he had felt like he was going to die the previous night, Florence was the only thing in his mind – all he had wanted was see her one last time.
"You're not dying, Severus. At least not anymore," she whispered, opening her eyes to look at him.
"Still connected, it seems," he replied with a soft smile, amazed that she had heard all his mental rambling, "Your husband won't be happy about it," he added bitterly.
Florence closed her eyes briefly and exhaled, "I'm not married. Sirius is just my boyfriend, he doesn't even live here."
Severus frowned, asking: "Why not?" as relief took over him.
"I already have two kids, I don't need a third one," she honestly replied. Then she looked at him with concern, "What happened last night, Sev?"
"We were ambushed by aurors-"
She interrupted him: "That's all I need to know. I have to ask you to leave right after you have breakfast. I can't have the Ministry on my doorstep accusing me of harbouring a fugitive."
He nodded, "I understand."
She moved closer to him and kissed his lips softly, "I'm glad you're not dead."
He caressed her face, "I'm glad you saved me."
"You'll need to rest for a few days, but you'll be fine," she kissed him once more, "Don't get yourself killed," then she got out of the bed.
"Florence."
"Don't," she stopped him, sensing in his mind what he was about to ask her, "You already know my answer."
"Yes, I do," he replied with a sigh, "And it's not the one your lips like to say."
Florence just left the room, wiping a few more tears that had fallen and going downstairs just in time to see Eileen arriving.
"Good morning, Flor."
"Hello, godmother," she briefly hugged her.
"Have you been crying, dear?" Eileen asked, noticing her red eyes.
"Yes, but it's nothing, I..."
Then Eileen's eyes got bigger as she looked down Florence's body.
"Flor, is that blood?" she pointed to Florence's sweater.
"Oh!" Exclaimed Florence, looking at the dark red stains on her sleeves and in front of her jumper, "Nah. I don't think so..." she tried to lie.
"Florence," Eileen said in a serious tone, realising what was happening there, "Just tell me: is he ok?"
Florence sighed, "Yes. Now he is... but last night when he arrived, he..." she looked at her godmother and more tears fell, "It was pretty bad."
"But he's fine now?"
"Yes. He'll survive," she nodded.
"Thank you, my dear," Eileen hugged her, "Now, you go change and I'll wake up the kids."
Florence silently nodded again and they both walked upstairs.
Eileen left with the twins and Florence decided to take a shower; she only had to go to the hospital by ten, so she had time to try to relax – even though her mind insisted on replaying the horrible state Severus had arrived on her doorstep the night before.
She closed her eyes to rinse the shampoo out of her hair, and then she heard him: "Mind if I join you?"
"Severus!" she quickly turned to the door, "You shouldn't be out of bed!"
He looked at her naked body up and down, his hungry gaze making her skin grow hotter.
"Don't even think about it!" she said; even though she was aroused, she was also worried about him, "You were at death's door just a few hours ago!"
"I can guarantee you I'm not dying anymore," he touched his hard dick, still clad by his underwear.
Florence gulped, wanting him to touch her, needing to feel him against her body, despite reason telling her to resist.
He sensed her thoughts and removed his pants, walking into the shower stall with her; his larger stronger frame so close to her in that small space made her feel delicate and feminine; his hair getting soaking wet as he stopped right in front of her.
She touched his ribs, "You're still all bruised up."
"But I'm very much alive," he wrapped his arms around her, lowering his face to kiss her, "Thanks to a brilliant mediwitch I know."
"And she doesn't want to ever be needed like that again."
"I'll try to behave."
And he took her lips with his, feeling her melt against him, letting her veela magic free, not even trying to resist anymore – she needed to feel he was still alive.
She ran her hands up his chest, his skin already wet like hers, the water running down both their bodies. Their lips and tongues touching in a slow drugging kiss.
He was taken by lust when her magic blood entranced him, he pushed Florence against the tiled wall, trailing kisses down her neck, picking up the bar of soap and teasing her nipples with slick hands, making her gasp: "Fuck."
Then Severus rinsed the soap off her nipples before sucking on one and then the other.
Florence moaned, needing more of him, rubbing one leg on his side.
"Sev, please..."
"I know, love," he kissed her lips again, "You need me; you're dripping for me, aren't you?" he touched one finger to her entrance, "Yes, you are."
He slid his finger into her, pressing on her g-spot, watching her arch and gasp between his body and the wet wall, the water still running down on them, the whole bathroom fogging up from the heat of the water and the two lovers under the shower.
He tried to hoist her up but she stopped him, saying: "No- you're going to hurt yourself."
"Florence," he glared at her, one hand on her neck, "I'm fucking you against this wall, and nothing short of death will stop me," and he pulled her up, her legs around his waist.
She used magic to keep her weight off of his waist and felt the large head of his dick pressing into her pussy.
He thrust his tongue into her mouth and slammed his cock into her, making her moan into the kiss, her nails digging into his shoulders.
"Fuck, I missed you," he groaned, feeling his cock deliciously sheathed all the way into her hot and slick cunt, "Take it, love- show me how much you want it."
He moved out, looking down between their bodies, watching his thick dick parting her folds, the head being held tightly by her pussy.
Her soft whimpers and the way she didn't seem to control her hips, wanting more of him, had him groaning; he loved to watch her sexy reactions at every thrust of his hips, the way she arched her back, circled her hips, driving him crazy – no other woman put on the show Florence did when fucking.
"You're perfect, Flor," he moved slowly but deep, grinding his pelvis against her, stimulating her clit and her g-spot.
"Oh, fuck..." she breathed, moving her hips faster, "I missed you too, Sev," she admitted, "Missed you touching me, missed you fucking me..." he moved harder and she moaned his name louder, fisting a hand in his wet hair.
"I missed these..." he groaned before filling his mouth with a breast, sucking and biting on a sensitive nipple, "I missed this pussy," he slammed his cock hard into her, "I fucking missed you... your moans and whimpers. Your veela begging for more in my head."
"Faster," she gasped, "Make me feel you for days!"
He growled as he felt her channel clamping on his cock, "This... I fucking missed this cunt sucking me in, trying to get me to fill her up with cum."
Florence's breath hitched and he knew she was about to cum. He moved fast and deep, touching her g-spot at every move of his dick.
"Cum for me, love," he coaxed, "Squeeze my dick, show me how you never want me to stop fucking you!"
And she screamed, her nails marking his arms as she moaned his name, her body being taken by wave after wave of pleasure.
"Don't stop," she whimpered between breaths, looking at him with those light-green veela eyes that let him know she needed more.
"I'm not stopping, love," he replied, still pumping his cock into her, "I'll keep fucking you until you're passed out and creampied."
"Yes!" she circled her hips, needing him deeper, moaning in frustration.
"You want more, don't you?" he asked in a moan, her cunt clenching on his cock and her skin getting hotter.
"Yes. Deeper. Harder," she was completely lost in her need, her veela in full control of her body and he knew exactly how to deal with her.
He turned off the water and pulled Florence away from the wall, carrying her to bed. She complained when his dick slipped from her body.
"Have patience, love," his soft voice a stark contrast to the rough way he was handling her, letting her fall on her butt on the bed and pushing her onto her back, quickly grabbing her hips and flipping her onto her stomach.
Florence whimpered, loving the way he was manhandling her.
He stood beside the bed and caressed her large hips with desire, spanking her once, twice, hearing her moan.
"Look at you," he growled, "You love that; your cunt creaming as I spank you and use you for my fucking pleasure," he pressed his dick into her pussy again and spanked her three times before ramming deep into her.
Florence screamed, her whole body shaking as another orgasm took over her. But he didn't stop his thrusts, fisting one hand in her hair, he pulled her head back, having her arching, her arse up as he pounded into her hard.
"Ooohh... don't stop... don't fucking stop!" she was screaming and moaning, her orgasm never-ending.
"Fucking tight cunt!" Severus said, watching his dick getting in and out of her, dripping with her juices, and he couldn't stop his own orgasm, spurting hard inside of her, watching his dick getting streaked by his seed as he kept on thrusting into her.
Florence skin was still too hot, she was whimpering, "I need more."
"I'll give you exactly what you need," he said, taking her wand from the nightstand and whispering a spell; Florence had barely registered the slickness in her arse when he removed his cock from her pussy and pressed against her puckered hole.
Her veela making her yearn for it, nothing made her feel more his than having him fucking her arse.
He entered her slowly, "Holy fuck..." he grunted, rubbing his hands on her reddened cheeks, "What a sight. Your delicious arse taking up my cock... so fucking sexy."
Florence clenched her muscles and he gripped her hips harder.
"Stop that!" he growled, "Fuck! You're going to make me fucking cum by doing that."
"Move, Sev! Oooh please, move. Fuck me," she was burning in need.
He was breathing fast, watching his cock spearing her arse was absolute perfection.
"You're mine, Flor. All mine," he babbled, wishing his words were true.
He moved his hips slowly, hearing her sweet cries of pleasure. Then her hand went down between her legs.
"No!" he stopped her from touching herself, "I'm the one pleasuring you, my cunt to touch!" and he lowered his right hand between her legs, spearing two fingers into her.
She moaned louder.
He touched her entrance, looking for something, until he had her suddenly bucking under him, his dick getting deeper into her.
"There it is," he whispered, pressing his fingers against her g-spot at every thrust into her pussy and of his cock in her arse.
And soon he had her screaming once more, her hips trying to move against him, so he spanked her ass twice more with his left hand, throwing her into a spiral of pleasure so strong that he could feel it through their bond.
"Fuck," he cursed as she screamed his name and her arse clamped on his cock, "Damn it!" he tried to ignore the sensation on his dick and the sight of that gorgeous woman cumming hard as he fucked her arse but he couldn't, "Fucking delicious, Florence!" and his own orgasm took control of his body, making him spurt a huge load of cum deep into her.
He caressed her back, her waist, her thighs, everywhere he could reach while their breathing slowly returned to their normal rates; he carefully took his softening dick from her arse, casting the usual healing spell to ease her discomfort, then he lay down on the bed beside her, loving that she immediately laid her head on his chest.
"How are you feeling?" she asked, looking at him with concern.
"I would die a very happy man right now," he replied, pulling her tightly against him.
She smiled, but her eyes still showed she was worried, "You scared me last night, Sev. Another ten minutes without medical care and you'd have died."
"I know," he whispered, touching her face, "I must apologize to you, Flor..."
"No. No. No. Don't," she shook her head, quickly leaving the bed, "Do not apologise," she went to her closet without looking at him. If he started apologising and they talked, she knew she would give in, and she couldn't!
Then she suddenly remembered something: "How good are you in occlumency?" she walked out of the closet with a dress on.
"Pretty good," he sat on the bed, grimacing a little from the pain on his ribs, "Getting better."
"No one can know I helped you. No one can know about what just happened this morning."
He looked at her with a frown.
So she quickly came up with an explanation: "Karkaroff was captured and is going to go on trial and I wouldn't put it above him to give names in exchange for his own freedom. He'll certainly say your name. And if they bring you in for questioning and..."
He nodded, understanding, "They could use a Memory Charm and see that you helped and fucked me. I get it."
"I can't go to Azkaban. I have my kids to think about."
"I get it, Florence. I get it," he said, before lying down on his back again, staring at the ceiling.
She looked at him, admiring his sexy body, wishing she could always have him there on her bed; she missed riding him, she wished she could just straddle him right then and fuck herself on his cock, while he sucked her nipples-
"Stop thinking that, Florence. Unless you're really going to come ride me."
She blinked, forcing herself to stop thinking about having him again.
She closed her mind with occlumency and opened her bedroom door, calling for Melody.
"We'll be going down for breakfast in a minute, Mel."
"Yes, Mistress," the elf replied.
Then she turned to Severus again: "You can transfigurate some of my clothes into something that fits you. I'll wait for you downstairs."
He just nodded and sat up on the bed again, looking around the room, realizing that was the first time he'd ever been in her bedroom.
Florence reached the living room and Tiffany's angry eyes greeted her.
"Don't start, Tiff. I wasn't going to let him die on my doorstep."
The elf just handed her a cup of tea and walked back to the kitchen, looking at the man who was walking down the stairs with anger in her eyes.
"Morning, Tiffany," Severus greeted.
But she didn't reply.
He walked to Florence, ready to kiss her, but she took a step back.
"Let's just have breakfast so you can leave," she said.
He frowned, "So we're back to being enemies?"
"If we are on opposite sides of this war, Severus, it's not my fault."
"Perhaps," he angrily added, "I should just leave and have breakfast someplace where my presence is welcomed."
Florence put her cup of tea on the table beside the sofa.
"Perhaps you should," she tried hard not to cry, "There's an apparition spot in the backyard, right past the fig tree."
He just gave her a curt nod and left.
And then she let the tears fall; wishing that things could be different, wanting to fulfil her dream of marrying him without fearing for his and the boys' lives.
But the time for dreams and wishes had passed; the reality was Severus had made his choice and so had she – and they weren't the same.