AN – I own nothing!

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Chapter 12

Hermione curled underneath the black blankets of Severus's bed. Going back to Wellington castle, or rather the wizarding world was something that she didn't want to do yet. Severus contacted King Richard with his mobile informing him of what Hermione wanted.

Since she stepped into the loft, she noticed its simplicity and minimalistic designs. There was just a single bedroom, and it was divided not by a wall, but by a bookshelf. On the other side was an open kitchen and dining area.

She deeply inhaled the scent of the blankets. She liked the scent. It was also on the plain grey colored shirt that she wore. It was one of Severus's old shirts, and it reached her mid thighs. She wore nothing else with it, except for her knickers. A smile went across her lips as he remembered what happened during her dinner with Severus recently.

They were at a pub. It was pretty crowded but not too full. They sat together at a booth seat, and not across from each other. When the waiter was taking their orders, it seemed as if he was hitting or flirting with Hermione.

"Are you new in town? Never seen you around?" Blah, blah, blah.

Severus knew what the boy was up to. He possessively put an arm around Hermione and gave a deadly glare at the waiter. He then hissed at the stupid boy rudely, telling him to do his work and get their orders, and lastly, to keep his eyes off his fiancé. The waiter's eyes widened in shock and fear, and to top it all off, he almost tripped on the way to the kitchen. Stupid boy indeed.

"You are my Little One," he growled into her ear. He then kissed her temple and didn't let go of her the entire night. He kept Hermione close to him, either with an arm around her shoulders, or her hand in his. Once in awhile, he would even feed her. The waiter quickly forgotten.

Who would have guessed? Severus was the jealous type and sweet as well to say the least. The man truly was a mystery, and she was learning more and more about him, liking every bit of it so far.

"You alright?" Severus asked, pulling Hermione out of her thoughts.

Hermione turned her head and noticed Severus standing against the bathroom door frame. He was only wearing pajama bottoms. It was the first time Hermione took a good look at his body. The other time, she was too bothered to notice anything at the time.

Severus's body was well sculpted. Broad chest and shoulders, with defined abs, and muscles in his arms. There was a scarce amount of hair down the middle of his chest, and a line of hair at the bottom of his belly button, which traveled down to, Merlin knows where. Who knew his robes could hide so much?

"I guess," Hermione answered.

"Want to do anything? Watch cable or DVDs?" he asked as he approached the bed. He then sat on the edge of the bed, and looked down at her.

"No thanks," she shook her head. "Will you be so kind as to lay with me Severus please?" she asked with hesitancy in her voice.

"Of course," Severus said in his silky voice. He pulled the blanket, and moved under it, but he only lay inches away from her. One of Hermione's hands was close to his face. He placed his hands in hers, and allowed their fingers to entwine. His thumb then rubbed small circles on the back of her hand. Her skin was so soft and smooth. Surprisingly to himself, he was comfortable around her and being with her.

Hermione enjoyed being touched by Severus. Ever since her little confession in the park, Severus seemed to touch her more, which made her feel better. She could do anything but complain. She felt very comfortable with him. Once, she made the first move earlier and hugged him. He didn't push her away, and held her.

"Did you enjoy today?" Severus asked looking at her cinnamon eyes.

"I did," Hermione answered looking back in his deep black eyes. They were black and beautiful. "Thank you."

"What would you want to do tomorrow? Go to the London Eye? More shopping perhaps?" he asked rolling his eyes slightly. He remembered waiting for Hermione in a chair while she kept on trying a bunch of tops, in a store. In the end, she only bought three of them. Women and their shopping!

"And you won't complain?" she asked with a smirk.

"You women shop too much!" he hissed. "It amazes me how you can walk on endless hours and enjoy it. I've been with Narcissa once, and she's much worse. The two of you together—I can just imagine. It's going to be a complete nightmare! Lucius already complains about the damage she does to his wallet."

"It's alright Severus. You don't have to come with me, or spend your money on me. I can do well on my own." He was still his usual self. Complaining and annoyed left and right. It was funny at times. And with regards to Narcissa and her shopping together, yes they had done so from time to time. He wasn't very far from the truth.

"I do have to come with you. You are to be my wife and I do not mind spoiling you. I must admit, it isn't as annoying as I thought it would be," he said in a softer tone. He pulled her hand to his lips, and softly kissed it. He continued to breathe against it, not pushing it away.

A blush crept across Hermione's cheeks. She pulled the comforter closer to her cheeks, wanting to hide beneath the sheets.

"Hermione?" Severus called her name, breaking the moment of silence between them. "What about after our wedding?"

"What about it?" she asked, not knowing what he was implying to.

"Our honeymoon." He paused. "Do you intend to go anywhere in particular?"

"Oh?" Hermione frowned. She never really thought about their honeymoon, only about the wedding ceremony. She didn't think that there would be one in the first place.

"Italy—at my villa, in Tuscany? I was thinking that maybe you would like to spend some time there… since you and your parents were planning to visit that country for the summer."

Hermione felt tears in her eyes grow, and remembered her parents, and how much they planned the trip. How she enjoyed their family vacations.

"Or we could go somewhere else," Severus said. He felt that he was the cause of her tears. His intention wasn't to cause her pain and sadness.

"No Severus. I was so looking forward to going to Italy. I wouldn't mind at all going with you," she sniffled at him with a smile. "You are so thoughtful."

"And you are a nonstop nose pipe and waterfall," he sneered at her as he cupped her face with both his hands. "Damn you and your tears." He leaned forward and planted kisses on her cheeks, tasting the saltiness of her tears.

"Thank you Severus," Hermione said as she moved her head slightly forward. Her brow touched his lips, as she wrapped an arm around his chest. She snuggled closer to him as he pulled her right next to him.

"Anything for you," he murmured against her brow.

"Severus, I don't have any dreamless sleep potion," Hermione said with worry.

"Sleep Little One," he kissed her brow. "I will fight your demons away."

Hermione closed her eyes, and inhaled the scent of Severus's skin. It was slightly musky and smelled of spices and sandalwood. It smelled like the sheets and his shirt. It was his smell, and she liked it.

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AN – Don't hate me because Severus is OOC towards Hermione, and whatever more. I like it that way, and this is my story. More around the bend. Review!