After Sera settled in to rest, Severus went to the Headmaster's office to ask him to perform the wedding ceremony. With a lack of family and friends, they would have to rely on Dumbledore to perform the bonding and witness their union. Not the kind of wedding Sera deserved, but it would have to do. They were going to be making the best of what was available for a long time.
As he suspected, the old man was very pleased that Severus had decided to marry his fiancee sooner rather then later. They decided that the ceremony would take place Friday afternoon after the last Potions class. Severus would then take Sera to his own house in Spinner's End for the weekend, so they would at least spend their first couple of days as husband and wife alone. When Severus returned to his quarters he couldn't help the small smile that touched his lips when he saw Sera curled up on her cot, sound asleep. He stood in the doorway to the bedroom, just watching her chest rise and fall softly with each breath. She'd been back a full week now and she was still a little pale and thinner then he'd like to see her, but he would make sure she got all the rest and good food she needed to get back to the state he'd last seen her in.
As he watched the woman that would become his wife in three days he suddenly felt a lump in his throat. She really did deserve better then him. He loved her, he thought that what he felt for her was love at least, and he wanted the best for her, but he didn't know if would be any good at showing that love. She needed attention and affection, two things he'd never been good at giving.
But at the same time he also knew he was too selfish to give her up. If the Dark Lord would be returning sooner rather then later, or even at all, his life was about to be put in a precarious position. Wasn't it reasonable he wanted to get a bit of happiness, or at least as close as he could come to happiness, before hand?
What if his happiness ended up costing Sera her life? He hadn't been able to protect Lily, even after selling his soul to Dumbledore, something he would never entirely forgive the old man for even if he was forever in his debt. Certainly he would never put Sera's safety in Dumbledore's hands. If he was going to marry Sera, knowing what was coming, he would protect her himself and do what was necessary to keep her safe.
He couldn't watch his other love die. And he wouldn't.
With a final glance at his sleeping fiancee he swept from the doorway and returned to the Potions class room, which was within earshot of his quarters. There were papers to grade and preparations to be made if he wanted to be able to concentrate only on his new wife over the weekend.
Several hours passed as Severus worked on grading his papers in comfortable silence. He usually hated reading essays, though he was always giving them out, but today it kept his mind away from more unpleasant things then his student's stupidity. The concerns he had about the Dark Lord's return, his safety and Sera's safety had to be pushed aside. Dumbledore could be wrong, though the Mark was still growing darker and clearer on his fore arm.
He was in the process of taking all those thoughts and compressing them into a little box that he would keep in the back of his mind when he heard the scream. At first he thought it was in his mind, but it came again. Severus hurried to his feet, his heart pounding like a jackhammer in his chest and rushed back into his quarters.
With what he'd been thinking about when he heard the scream he was very relieved to find Sera alone on her cot, though her face was twisted in what was either pain or fear. She whimpered incoherently and cried out again from whatever horror she was facing in her dream. He sat down beside her and carefully rested a hand on her shoulder.
"Sera." He spoke in a low, firm voice. "Wake up."
True to her sometimes contrary nature, Sera merely shuddered at his touch and mumbled incoherently. Begging someone not to hurt her, it would seem. That simply broke Severus's heart, what heart he had left, and he wondered if she was reliving the hex.
"Sera." His voice was more urgent now, shaking her slightly. "
"Severus," She moaned in her dream, hanging in the balance between sleep and wakefulness. "Help me...please...it hurts...help me!"
Her voice was growing more frantic and Severus carefully wrapped his arms around her, trying to get her sitting up though she was struggling lightly against him. Her pleas became more jumbled and undistinguishable, leaving him to debate whether or not to use his Occlumency on her. Before he could make the decision, however, she let out a loud yelp and stiffened.
"Dear Merlin..." She whispered, her eyes open now as she curled against Severus.
He wasn't used to having someone seek comfort from him, but he tightened his arms around Sera and pulled her close. Severus could feel her chest falling with quick, frightened breaths against his and he awkwardly ran his hand over her dark hair, trying to soothe her.
"You're safe," He whispered in her ear. "I will do everything in my power to protect you, Sera."
She didn't reply, but he felt her arms slip around him and her head lay against his chest. He rested his chin on top of her head and held her until he felt her body finally relax in his arms. Closing his eyes, he silently repeated the promise to himself.
The next morning Severus woke earlier then usual. He felt a deep warmth against his back and it took him a few moments to realize that the heat was coming from another body pressed tightly against his own. Of course it was Sera, no one else would have been able to get past his wards and into his quarters. It was a nice feeling and he enjoyed it enough he didn't move to ask her how she'd ended up in his bed.
After her nightmare they'd gone about a normal afternoon. She started perusing his book collection and he continued on with grading and preparing for the next day's classes. They had dinner together and then each picked up a book to read in companionable silence until it was time to sleep. He found himself staying awake after she had already drifting off, wanting to make sure she hadn't had another nightmare.
It was strange for him to care about another person, but it wasn't a bad feeling. It was that care that finally caused him to carefully turn over and break the warm contact at his back. As he faced Sera, her eyes fluttered open and she gave him a small, sleepy smile. A smile just for him. That was strange too.
"Sera?"
"I had another nightmare." She explained, looking a little shy. "I didn't want to wake you, but I wanted to be close. You-you made me feel so safe earlier..."
Sera shifted and closed the slight difference between them, snuggling against his chest as she'd done the night before. No one had ever really wanted to be close to him before, and certainly he'd never made anyone feel safe. Severus hesitated for a moment, then wrapped his arms around her in return.
The contact of their bodies was almost frightening. He'd been with women in the carnal way, but there was no affection involved and certainly not this sort of intimacy. And here Sera was, trusting as a lamb even though she knew he wasn't the boy she'd fallen in love with fifteen years ago, pressed into his chest and wrapping her arms around his waist.
"I like this," Sera whispered, almost too quiet for him to hear her.
"I do too," Severus whispered in return, nuzzling his face into her hair, black as his but shiny and soft. "Rest, Sera, it is still early and you need it."
She sighed sleepily and closed her eyes. "I'm not used to someone taking care of me."
"Get used to it." He replied, also feeling sleep tug at him. "I may not be very good at it, but I'm going to take care of you."
As he closed his eyes and enjoyed the warmth of her body against his own and in his arms, he felt much more confident about his abilities to be a husband. It wouldn't be easy, but it was his mission now to give Sera the kind of care she'd always deserved. Dark Lord and Dumbledore both be damned. He'd made a vow to the old wizard, but he was about to make a vow to the girl that returned to him after so many years, and he would go to the ends of the earth to keep them both.
Because he had loved Lily and because he did love Seraphina.
