Shrieking Shack-The battle of Hogwarts
When the flask Harry held was full to the brim, and Snape looked as though there were no blood left in him, his grip on Harry's robes slackened.
"Look...at me..." He whispered.
Green eyes found the black, but after a second, something in the depths of the dark pair seemed to vanish, leaving them fixed, blank, and empty...
Severus gasped, his lungs desperate for air as he bolted out of bed. His legs tangled in the sheets, sending him to his knees.
"Severus!" A stranger's voice cried out.
Severus's fingers gripped the sheets around him as though they were his lifeline. Where was he? The shrieking shack was gone. He could still hear the Dark Lord's threatening voice. He could still feel Nagini's fangs piercing his skin. It had all vanished. Everything. His eyes darted around the room, as though any moment now the serpent would strike at him again. Instead of Naigini, a woman suddenly crouched down in front of him. She peered at him, but didn't touch him. She was careful to give him his space despite the concern in her eyes.
"Its ok," She whispered, "You're ok. Its over now."
"Who are you?" He demanded defensively. His dark eyes fixed on hers. Not Lily's green eyes, but an icy blue set beneath dark lashes in a heart shaped face. Dark violet hair fell around her shoulders and over the thin straps of her silky, dark green night gown. The longer he studied her, the more his memories of what had just happened in the shack faded. Severus's mind clung to it as reality, but the temptation of admitting it was only a dream was too much to resist. Finally, the world around him clicked into place in his mind. A dream. That's all it had been. Just a nightmare.
"Don't you know me?" She asked, studying him closely. Severus tensed as she reached out and stroked her fingers down the side of his face, chasing away the last remnants of fear. "I know you, Severus."
It was all coming back to him. He was home, safe, with his wife. "Freya," Severus breathed, reaching out for her and pulling her close. "Of course, I know you." He held her tightly against him as memories of their life together suddenly flooded his mind all at once. The way they had met in Hogsmeade just before the war. She had stayed with him through it all. She had saved his life, and he had married her soon after. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that if he didn't hold her tightly enough, she would disappear, and he would be back in that shack with Naigini. The nightmare flickered before his eyes, the shack overshadowing their bedroom before vanishing again.
"You had the nightmare again, didn't you?" Freya asked, concern filling her voice. "I told you not to forget your dreamless sleep potion." She said, as though she could hear his thoughts or feel his confusion.
"I will certainly remember it tomorrow night." He assured her. It had all felt so real.
"Its over now." She said, pressing her forehead against his. "You don't deserve to be haunted by your past forever, Severus."
Severus pushed his fingers through her hair and pulled her mouth to his. Freya wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
The world around him flickered again and suddenly he was back in bed. His heart raced and his hands clenched into fists. Something was wrong. Reality was changing. Time was moving faster than normal, and his mind couldn't keep up.
Freya stretched next to him, rolling over and resting her head on his shoulder. She stretched her arm across his waist. Severus wrapped his arm around her, almost instantly calmed by the contact. Something was wrong, but it didn't matter. So long as he had Freya he could face whatever this was. A single touch from her seemed to be able to soothe his mind and set things straight again.
Freya blinked open her eyes, reached up and traced his jaw line with her fingers. "I don't remember getting back into bed." Severus admitted in confusion.
"You wouldn't," Freya replied, "You fell back to sleep on the floor again. I put us to bed. I'm glad I didn't wake you. You needed your rest before your meeting today."
"What meeting?" Severus frowned.
"Didn't you say you were meeting with the Hogwarts board of Governors today?" Freya explained.
"Hogwarts board of governors..." Severus repeated. Something clicked in his mind, just as it had the night before. "Oh, yes. They want us to move back onto school grounds. They don't feel its wise to have a Headmaster who lives away from the school."
"That's irrational," Freya answered. "This is the perfect place for us. It is exactly between the school and our potions shop, and you're there every day anyways. You've never missed one." She pressed a kiss to his cheek. The feel of her lips on him made his skin tingle and his blood rush. He pushed her onto her back and leaned over her, his hand gripping her waist. He captured her mouth in a kiss. He could feel the palm of her hands move up his bare chest and around his shoulders, making him ache for her. He moved on top of her, pressing his knee between her legs and dropping his kiss to her jaw line.
"You're going to be late," Freya warned, even as her hips arched against his.
"Let them wait," Severus breathed, tugging up her nightgown. "I want you." He couldn't shake the feeling that if he didn't hold on to her, she would be gone. If he looked away from her, even for a moment, she wouldn't be there when he looked back. When he lost her, his whole world would be replaced by something too dark and painful for him to deal with. He could feel the truth of it in his bones. "I love you."
Freya hesitated, pushing gently against his shoulder, "I'm not going anywhere. You won't lose me. Go to your meeting, and when you get back, we will spend the rest of the day in bed."
"Is that a promise?" He smirked, studying her.
"I swear," She answered.
Severus buried his face in her neck. She was right of course. He was being irrational. She was his wife. If she had loved him enough to marry him, she wasn't going to disappear the moment he turned his head. They had already been through so much together. Every time he thought for sure he had lost her, she had only pulled closer to him. He hadn't even been able to chase her away with his snarky attitude. Love doesn't run. That's what she had said the night he'd tried to chase her away. The night he had confessed to her that he had been the one to kill Albus Dumbledore. Everyone else had turned their backs on him, but not her. She had refused.
"I love you," She whispered, wrapping her arms around his shoulders one last time before he pulled away.
"I love you," He answered as he reluctantly slipped out of bed and moved to their closet. He pulled out his best robes and began getting dressed. "And I fully expect you to be ready to fulfill that promise the moment I return." He smirked.
After straightening his robes and making sure he was presentable, Severus moved to the window. At some point in the night Freya must have cracked it open to let in some fresh air. A cool, gentle breeze was blowing their sheer cream colored curtains. The sky was a rich, welcoming blue, dotted with puffy white clouds. Perhaps he wouldn't hold her captive in his bed all day. The weather was perfect for the long walk up to their lakehouse. Freya loved to swim. When he found it last year, he couldn't resist investing in it for their anniversary. Movement down below caught his attention and Severus frowned. A man with a mess of long blonde hair and oddly triangular eyebrows stared back at him. He wore a sparkling blue cloak over a white dress shirt, a black vest, and dark trousers. His hands were covered with white gloves and holding a black tophat. He smirked at Severus as he lifted the hat back onto his head and continued down the street.
"Is something wrong?" Freya asked, sitting up in bed and leaning back against a pillow. "You look troubled."
"Everything is fine," He assured her, coming back to the bed. "I am simply baffled by what passes for stylish clothing these days."
"Says the man who has nothing in his closet but black and white." She countered teasingly.
Severus leaned over her and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "Be careful while I'm gone." He sighed, "The war might be over, but the world is still filled with questionable personalities. Its not too late for me to stay home, you know."
"You'll have a good day at work," She laughed, playfully pushing him away. "I'm sure of it."
"Yes, well, at least I won't have to deal with dunderheads all day." He muttered, causing her to laugh again.
He looked back at his wife one last time and offered her a small smile before leaving for the ministry.