The heat of his body pressed against her kept the chill away and it was hard for her to consider anything else with his tongue massaging the inside of her mouth. He held her, pressed tightly to the door and the front of his body as his fingers grasped at either side of her face, her hair tangled in his fingers.
"Severus…" She exhaled, her eyes closed when he pulled back and peppered little kisses at the side of her mouth, across her jaw and back up to her lips. Gentle, soft kisses that pecked and warmed her further.
"My Hermione." He grunted his fingers digging tighter into her hair and she gave a heavy breath, he nipped her bottom lip and she whimpered.
"Marry me?" He exhaled, his entire body going rigid with the suggestion.
What was he thinking? He'd only just gotten her back!
He would scare her away talking like that, she may not even truly remember their time together, he was so foolish!
He groaned in irritation at himself and made to pull away, she was having none of it and grasped him by his shoulders, holding him firmly in place. Not that he could ever genuinely fight her, it was not in him to do so.
"Before Lucius removes even that right from us?" She nudged at his chin with her cheek, he hadn't realized he'd turned his face from her but it whipped around to face her again, black eyes wide. She marveled at the beauty of him, stood in the fluttering snow, his black hair stirring around his face and his black eyes catching the faint light of the moon- sparkling flecks of silver making themselves known.
"He would not be able to undo it, no one would, a life bond." He breathed, his eyes intent on her face, attempting to read her, wanting to know what was going on inside her head.
She chewed her lip for a second, looking pensive before she gave a soft nod.
"I think that my soul knew you before my mind did." He opened his mouth to speak but she shushed him with the soft brush of her lips on his.
"Let me say this." He gave a soft nod. "I recognized you, something about you cried out to me when I came into the Great Hall that first time, your black eyes tracing the crowd of students, lingering just a moment longer than necessary."
"I was afraid I would feel like a lecherous old man, staring at the other half of myself while she was such a young child."
"But you weren't, were you?" She smiled and brushed her lips across his gently again.
"I knew you, and I felt so drawn to you, but I knew better than to say anything, I'd been having those strange feelings my entire life and all I'd ever been told was 'wait until you are older'." She did a smashing impression of Remus, causing a deep rumble of laughter to bubble from Severus' chest. She smiled at the sound, glad she'd been the one to prompt it.
"And then the dreams started, when I was a bit older, dreams that could not be explained by a school girl's crush. Such intense realism in the dreams, such fire." She exhaled, her eyes dreamy.
His lips dipped to her ear, his warm breath caused her skin to prickle.
"I assure you I can recreate every pleasure." She had to coach herself into proper breathing again.
"Let me finish, wicked man." Her words were scolding but the grin she gave him was anything else.
"Or do you not desire a yes?"
"I desire a yes, I desire you more than you could ever fathom. I have waited so long, Hermione, so many years between us, so long…" And he looked pained, Hermione wet her lips, her fingers finding his cheek and giving it a soft caress.
"I've always felt like a part of me was missing, something so important, like a part of my heart was gone, lingering elsewhere. It was you, wasn't it? I feel so full now, so right." She smiled and brushed her lips across his jaw, it was all he could handle, he scooped the witch into his arms and carried her inside, walking past the silent order members and their prying eyes and straight up the stairs to his usual room in Grimmauld Place.
SSHG
She giggled wildly when he tossed her onto his bed, the door kicked shut behind him with a 'thud' of finality as thick silencing charms and wards draped the room. She was propped on her elbows, watching him with sparkling amber eyes and it was all he could do keep himself standing while she lay on his bed.
She shimmied down the edge of the bed and stood in front of him, her shorter stature forced her to look up at him but it was so perfect, so right, just like it had always been. His fingers caressed her jaw of their own will, wanting- no- needing to feel her skin beneath them.
"You will marry me? The eternal bond Hermione, not this foolish muggle business they seem to find in fashion now, a true bonding that cannot be broken but for death." He was watching her, black eyes piercing and she shivered under his gaze. This was going so fast, everything was happening so quickly for her.
She had to remind herself that for him it had been years, years upon years that he had been denied her, while she felt she was just discovering this- this love- he'd been harboring it, holding it and nurturing it for as many years as she'd been alive. She turned her face to kiss his fingertips and gave a little nod.
"I would like to sport the ring, however, as is the muggle fashion, as you so eloquently put it." She smirked at the wicked gleam in his eyes and was surprised when he produced a long chain from the inner pocket of his robe, two rings dangling from the silvered metal.
"I believe this is the perfect instance to revive these then, you gave them to me for Christmas so many years ago, perhaps now I will gift them to you." She stared at the twinkling chain, eyes lit with joy. She remembered them, those precious rings.
She remembered so much more by the moment.
SSHG
"Silence! You impertinent child." Bellatrix growled at Ginny who only cocked an eyebrow at the wild haired witch and pursed her lips.
"I'm missing the Holidays with my family, you know my mum makes the best pasties? You would be miffed as well." Lucius chuckled, arms crossed across his chest and Ginny shot him a black look.
"I am not kidding, who knows what I'm missing, new gags from my brothers! Where's Draco? Haven't seen him around, is he with Harry?" She gave a pointed look to the blonde-haired man who frowned.
"What are you implying, wench?"
"Exactly what you suspect, old man!" She snarled, Bellatrix moved to slap but her hand stopped midair, Ginny watched the appendage at a small distance with wide eyes.
Lucius' wand was trained on the crazed witch, his lips pursed, grey eyes stormy.
"It is unwise to damage the bait, Bella."
Ginny shuffled backwards a few steps and watched as the spell was dropped and Bellatrix's hand slashed at empty air, the witch scowled and crossed her arms.
"You've been no fun since Cissy left you." She snarled, Lucius tensed just behind Ginny who turned to look at him with a cocked red eyebrow.
"Perhaps you should make haste in visiting your husband Bella, or are you concerned your precious Cissy has fucked him as well?" Ginny shivered at the tone of his voice, icy cold and vicious as it cut across the other witch who occupied the room. The wild haired Lestrange huffed a cruel snort and turned to walk out the door.
"I have no idea why she tolerated you for so long." She slammed the door to the manor behind her, leaving a sad house elf cowering in her wake. Ginny couldn't help the little tug at her chest when Lucius turned from her, his grey eyes clouded.
"She left you? I thought purebloods bonded for life." She tipped her head, brushed red hair from her face and fought a war with herself to put a hand on his shoulder.
"We do not all of the luxury your parents were granted, the Black family fancied terminable arrangements. The option to leave was a necessity for those witches, that they could walk out should they find the arrangement no longer suited."
Ginny gave a sad frown and wet her lips, her eyes darting around the room, they were incredibly alone. No wonder Draco hadn't been present, he must have been with his mother.
"My parents are irrelevant in this conversation." She tugged him by his arm to face her, ever the little spitfire she was raised to be. "Bonding should be for life, and even more so it should be for love." He cocked a pristine blonde eyebrow at the little redheaded witch, the passion that sparked in her eyes at her words baffled him.
It was rare he found himself in the presence of passionate speech that did not come from mad lips.
"I fear, Miss Weasley, it is not that simple."
"Ginny, and it is, no matter how you blood-status snobs see it." And she turned to walk away from him, red hair trailing her toward the kitchen.
Perhaps he'd given the young witch too much freedom in his home? He hadn't seen the harm in it, after all the Weasley temper was infamous, and he'd been faced with the wand of Molly Prewitt, no, it was no his desire to face down the offspring of such a witch- especially when she appeared to be equally as formidable.
He followed the witch into the kitchen to find her rummaging through cabinets, her eyes locked on him when he entered.
"You should sit, this will take forever."
"What in Salazar's name are you doing, witch?" He grunted, brushed blonde hair back from his face and narrowed silvery eyes.
"I am going to make us a Christmas meal." She huffed and he cocked an eyebrow at her. "And you will not fuss about it, I won't spend the Holidays completely miserable."
"Bossy witch…" He grumbled.
"I heard that." A pointed look before she resumed her rummaging.
Lucius couldn't help but admit, to himself at least, that the smells that began to waft through the Manor made it feel that much less like the shell of the home it had one been.
And then he was forced to shake himself. What in Circe's name was he thinking?