Disclaimer: The characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling and her assigns.
Andromeda had long since regretted the kind urge that had suggested that Hermione spend so much time in the kitchen. It was good for the younger witch to practice the household spells that were so foreign to her. It was good for her to learn how to manage a house and prepare a good meal. The difficulty was in watching the younger witch gain confidence and beauty. Severus had been very definite about the terms of their marriage, but in the presence of a smarter and younger witch, Andromeda knew moments of worry.
As Valentine's Day approached, the girl went too far. She was naturally eager and excited, but her questions and the advice she requested were things Andromeda had been uncomfortable discussing with her own daughter. Hermione, however, never seemed to understand that some topics were inappropriate.
"It's got to happen soon," she said. "He's got to start thinking about romance."
"I'm sure that—" Andromeda had nothing to offer. More to the point, she could admit, to herself at least, that she wanted all of Severus's thoughts of romance centered wholly upon herself. She wasn't sure how to respond to Hermione's comments, but it didn't matter, since the girl simply made her own observations.
"I'm going to dress for Valentine's Day so that he'll make his move. I'll wear something snug and revealing. Something red, of course."
Andromeda had tried to be a good sport. She had avoided interrupting their private conversations, thinking that she should allow them to make their future plans. She had tiptoed past his room during the evenings, not wanting to trouble them. Suddenly something, some jealous monster perhaps, raised its head and rebelled. She wouldn't let Severus go without a fight. She certainly wouldn't let the future impinge upon the present. He hadn't even kissed the girl yet; well and good. Somehow Andromeda would make sure he wouldn't do so until the proper time came.
She considered her options as her husband lay sprawled across her body. While he slept in her arms, she stroked his hair and thought about how best to wage her small battle. Narcissa or not, Hermione or not, he was Andromeda's husband right now. Whatever they managed to arrange for the future, this was Andromeda's time and, by Psyche, Andromeda would have every second of it.
On the morning of Valentine's Day, she stilled her trembling breath and went to London. She started on Diagon Alley but walked into the Leaky Cauldron and through a door she had only heard of before. Ten minutes after throwing Floo Powder into her own kitchen fireplace, she found herself staring at Muggle Charing Cross Road.
Squaring her shoulders, because she was a Black after all, she followed carefully written directions and made her way to the underground trains and a shopping district in a trendy part of town. Eventually she reached a boutique Nymphadora had once laughingly mentioned. She watched the door for a few minutes. She couldn't be too careful. Knowing her daughter, the place might have have been one where tarts acquired their professional materials or something like that. The clientele seemed well-mannered and elegantly dressed. That was a relief.
She finally took a step through the door. One of the sales clerks came to welcome her. She led the prospective customer to a counter where there was some sort of catalogue. Andromeda had been given a strange card with fancy numbers on it by the goblins. It would somehow enable her to draw from her Swiss account at Muggle stores without the Ministry knowing. She placed it on the counter top and said, "Make me irresistible."
The sales clerk looked at the card and smiled brightly. Then she looked Andromeda up and down, walking around her. She nodded to a co-worker, and together the two started measuring. After that they started pulling garments from racks and cupboards. Finally they sent their customer through a door that had the label "SPA" on it. Minutes later, Andromeda couldn't decide whether she felt more violated or pampered, but she set her chin and submitted to the treatments. She wanted a night that neither Severus nor she would ever forget.
She arrived back home to find a squalling baby in the kitchen with the house-elf. "Little Master is hard to comfort, Mistress."
"I thought Severus would play with him, at least for a little while."
"Master takes good care of Little Master, but then Missy comes and makes Master shut door. Master never shuts door, before." Based on Hermione's determination, it was clear what was probably happening. Andromeda sat down heavily into a chair. The elf rushed over and patted her hand. "Is Mistress sick? Her face is white."
Andromeda roused herself to reassure the house-elf. "Oh, no, Birdie, I'm fine. I'll take Teddy now. I'm sure that if I take him upstairs with a bottle, he'll feel better."
"Thank you, Mistress. Birdie looks after dinner."
"It's just the things we discussed this morning, no more. Thank you, Birdie." Teddy stopped fussing so loudly when his grandmother took him, but he still sniffled and whimpered all the way down the hall. As she passed the door to Severus's room, it opened and Severus himself stood there. He looked at her, and it was almost as though he had been waiting for her.
"I thought I'd heard you come in," he said. "I'm sorry that I couldn't take care of him."
"He's probably a bit spoiled by all our attention most of the time. I'm sure he'll be fine this once." She couldn't help glancing past his still perfectly-dressed form at the room behind. Hermione stood there in a red dress that was far too short, but was impeccably fastened. Nothing had happened. She allowed herself a small smile for the triumph.
"You look different." Severus hadn't taken his eyes from her.
She smiled a little self-consciously, and her free hand patted her head. "Oh, I had my hair done."
He looked her up and down, letting her know that he noticed more than her hair. "It's quite attractive," he answered. He glanced back down from her elegant upsweep to the wrap dress that hugged the very curves he had often told her he admired. "Very attractive."
"Thank you," she said.
"I'll be right up," he leaned down and whispered into her ear.
"I need to see to Teddy," she answered, "but Birdie is seeing to dinner."
His next whisper was almost inaudible. "Then I shall be seeing to you."
The sensation that she was in control was heady. She couldn't resist the opportunity to rub her victory into the face of the witch who didn't know there was a competition. "Good evening, Hermione," she said, knowing that it was anything but good for the younger woman. She didn't wait for a response but rather looked the wizard in the eye as she moved to the stairs.
Severus couldn't understand what had gotten into Hermione. First she had insisted upon shutting the door, although he preferred to keep it open, just to protect everyone's reputation. Then she had drawn attention to her dress, asking if he liked it. When he had observed, "I'm sure whichever Gryffindor for whom you wore it will admire it greatly," she seemed miffed.
Her behavior on her studies had been distracted, and he was grateful when Andromeda came home. It was as though a breath of normalcy had come through the house. Much as he liked the girl, he couldn't wait for her to leave so that he could find out what Andromeda had done today besides visit the hairdresser and purchase that incredibly distracting dress.
He saw the girl to the Floo and then took the tray the elf handed him. As he went up the stairs, he discovered that he was walking through flower petals on a path outlined by candles. When he arrived in the bedroom, he found a witch waiting for him, a witch who had gone to a great deal of effort just for him. There were more candles, and the flower petals were swirled around the room along the floor, over the bed, and on the love seat where she was sitting.
"Happy Valentine's," she said.
He moved across the room quickly. He wanted to put the tray on the coffee table and take Andromeda into his arms. Once accomplished, he crushed her close. "My dove," was all he could say.
"You like it, then?"
He groaned into her shoulder. "I can't decide whether to ravish you as you are or to undress you and go from there."
"We have all night and plenty of food," she murmured.
He lifted his head and looked around. "That's right. We're married, and we're in our own bedroom." He sat on the loveseat and pulled her down onto his lap. He fumbled in his eagerness, and Andromeda, who had never before understood sexual power, put her arms around her husband's neck and over the next several minutes brought them both complete enjoyment.
His face pressed to her bosom as they caught their breath afterward. "What's gotten into you?" he asked.
"I don't know," she answered, "but I'm determined to enjoy every minute with you that I have."
He kissed a bit of skin visible above the neck of her dress. "Would it be all right to eat, now?"
"Oh, yes," she answered.
He ate quickly and urged her to do the same. "You're so different tonight," he observed. "Did you really do all of this for me?"
"I just wanted you to know how important you are to me, how much I've come to enjoy having you here." She was careful not to say anything that might be interpreted as needy. She didn't want him to feel that she was clinging to him.
"You know I've enjoyed every minute I've spent in your home. Every minute, even two years ago, when I believed you were unattainable." He leaned toward her and fingered the ties of her dress. "May I?"
She smiled. "Of course."
The dress was held together with a tie on the outside over one hip and another tie on the inside over the other hip. He found both ties and unfastened them and then held the dress open. He lost his breath looking at her. He had never seen so much black lace in his life.
"For me?" He leaned back helplessly. Sensing that she needed to take the initiative, she stood. Lifting her hands, she slid the collar of the dress over her shoulders. Then she shrugged and let it fall to the floor. He moaned weakly. She reached up and removed the pins from her hair, letting it tumble around her shoulders and down her back.
"My dove..."
She reached for his hand. "Come."
He followed her to the bed. She knelt upon it and leaned toward him, kissing him as he stood there. He simply sampled her mouth and enjoyed the taste of it. There were some flavors that were from the dinner they had just shared, and others that were simply Andromeda to him.
She pulled free of his lips and started kissing his chest. He hadn't realized until then how quickly she had undressed him. He wasn't sure what she wanted him to do with his hands, so he let them trail down her back. When he moved lower, he discovered a suspender and sucked in his breath. He followed the elastic down to where a silk stocking was held in place. He groaned, and his other hand moved to do what the first was doing.
He wasn't sure if he could wait. Now he took the initiative and gently pressed her back among the pillows. He had to explore and experiment, but he figured out how to remove her delectable undergarments, kissing and touching the whole time. Her gasps and shrieks drove him mad. Finally they were alone on the bed save for the flower petals. He leaned up over her and kissed her as the toes of one pedicured foot traced the back of his leg.
He wished he could tell the witch how he felt about her. He was sure she knew, and he entertained hopes that she felt the same way. He whispered that he found her beautiful and desirable. She sighed in response, and he told her of the pleasure she brought him. A moment passed in which neither was capable of coherent thought.
When he was able to speak again, he brushed her hair out of the way and whispered. "I wish I could explain how much I feel for you, how important you've become to me and how much I admire and esteem you." He couldn't resist kissing her once more.
When she could speak again, she said, "Severus, I love you."
He was very quiet. He was facing a different direction, and she couldn't see his eyes. She had no idea what he was thinking and suddenly started to panic. It had just come out—she hadn't meant to say anything so needy or clingy.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "That just came out; I don't mean to make you uncom—"
His mouth covered hers, and it seemed that his face might be damp. "Don't be sorry; I was hoping you felt the same way I do." He whispered a Summoning spell and a box came out of his robe. "This is for you. I've felt since we married that you should have a proper diamond ring." He slid the ring on her finger and then removed the wedding band from the chain around her neck to place it on her hand as well. "I look forward to the day we announce our marriage to the whole world," he said.
A/N: Thank you to Mark Darcy for beta reading!