Hermione stared into Severus' eyes, her heart in her throat as they stood in their empty bedroom. She'd done a bit of reading on how a bond like this could be performed and it was a complicated process on the unseen level.
The actual bonding was a drawing together of magics and souls, the performance of the ritual was not one that was done in front of others but instead in privacy. They could have a ceremony of some type after the bonding to involve their friends and family in the symbolic part of it but as far as the actual bonding they were to be completely alone.
There was no fancy garb or long speeches, she would get that from a public ceremony later.
The intense nature of what they were doing was not lost on the witch however, their room was beautiful. Severus had gone above and beyond to make certain everything was special for her, the way the candles floated, suspended on air all about the room, the multiple bouquets of flowers that littered every surface, their petals strewn about.
It had been breathtaking.
She knew he loved her, she knew their bond, their relationship was one that was so important to him. She had simply forgotten how much care he could take to make her happy.
She'd forgotten so much, so many little things, and she wanted to remember them all.
Every single moment was worth remembering.
It was strange, standing in that room as well, her back to Severus, not a single piece of clothing to hide her body. She felt oddly uncomfortable, and then still, strangely free. He would be in the same state, as there could be nothing worldly between them when they performed the bond.
Her hair tickled her back, the way it fell down her shoulders in cool curls, her senses were heightened. Every color, every flicker of light, every play of shadow caught her eye. Every sound, every breath she took, every breath he took caught her ears, and most of all; every scent, the thick smell of flowers, the soft scent of parchment, the herby, natural smell that was Severus behind her, it was an all out assault on her senses.
It was easy for her to wonder if he was experiencing the same thing, though when she heard his breathing she knew he was. That he was going through a similar circumstance.
There had been a potion to imbibe, before they could begin and she attributed much of the sensation to that, it had been a surprisingly easy brew and Severus had made quick work of it. Completed it to perfection in mere hours.
He'd informed her it was only so simple because they were both committed, had there been a shred of doubt for either he could have brewed a thousand times over and never come out with the correct potion.
A fail-safe to keep couples from being forced into such a serious bond.
"Are you ready, Hermione?" His voice drifted through the air and she tensed, her eyes closing against the onslaught of sensation before she cleared her throat.
"I am."
"I can hear your heartbeat, are you certain about this, love? I can surely wait longer should you need time." He kept his voice stoic but she knew the words were like a knife in his gut. She would never do such a thing to him.
"If you can hear it then you know it beats for you, and you alone. I'm ready, Severus, this is all I ever wanted before, and all I could hope for now." She could hear his heartbeat now, calling out to her, summoning her closer to him and as if in time the pair turned.
She could not focus on his nudity, on her nudity, she could only see his face. Those sharp black eyes that boasted little flecks of silver, the long black hair that framed his pale face, sharp features, he was beautiful.
She didn't even realize she was approaching him, that he stood still, exactly as this was meant to be, until they were stood toe to toe. Her eyes were so focused on his that she knew, no matter how much she tried- if she'd even wanted to- it would be impossible to look away.
"My Hermione." He spoke softly, black eyes catching the dim firelight and burning with an intensity she could never expect from any other but him.
She brought her hand to his chest, right above the point she could hear his heartbeat, it sped considerably and she smiled, wetting her lips.
"Duo autem, et." The simple latin phrase, 'two as one' made her palm burn, the sharp sting of fire spread up her arm and through her entire body. Painful but not as she held her hand there, not letting it fall away no matter how much discomfort she experienced.
His eyes were worried now, watching her closely as she winced at the sharp burn of the bonding spell. Soon it diminished and she was left standing there, panting, she pulled her hand away and it was her turn to stand completely still.
His own hand came up, right over her heart and she gasped a breath at the cooling sensation that traveled straight from her heart to every part of her body.
She wondered then if he'd felt the burn as well?
He was so good at withholding what he was feeling it was entirely possible.
"Duo autem, et." His deep voice rumbled and the cooling sensation intensified as they stared between one another. Soon her body returned to normal, and she assumed his did as well because his hand fell away and she was immediately snatched into his arms.
"No wonder so few people do this, it's very uncomfortable." She laughed weakly, her body cocooned in his arms and he breathed into the top of her head, his breaths shallow.
"I know love, but you did so well." He dried the tears she hadn't realized she'd let go with a thumb on her cheek and held her to him more tightly, kissing the crown of her head as they stood that way for some time, skin on skin, the comfort of his arms around her as his breathing grew even above her head.
"Do you feel it? The magic I mean, something slightly different, like it's swirling just beneath your skin?" She pulled back to look up into his face and he gave a soft nod, his hand caressed the hair back from her face.
He seemed hard pressed to take his hands off of her, not that she was complaining.
"It will grow more faint over time, eventually it will be as if it has always been this way, that is the combining of our magics, the combining of our souls won't be complete until the bond is consummated." She flushed but gave a soft nod, pulling herself back into his chest and laying a little kiss there.
"That part, it won't be painful, will it?" She felt silly for asking, even sillier at the soft chuckle that emanated from somewhere above her head but she only held him tighter.
"I imagine it will be as uncomfortable as any other woman's first time, but otherwise no, in fact from what I have read it is quite intensely the opposite, the pleasure is said to make the pain of the magical bond even less than a distant memory." She dug her fingers into his back at his words and he urged her back, his black eyes flashed in the light.
"I know you remember our time together now, I was never, and will never be anything less than careful with you. You have my entire heart; every ounce of my love is yours." She couldn't help her beaming smile, as distant as the memories were she could remember.
He'd never, ever hurt her, not even in their most passionate moments.
His lips captured hers in a soft kiss and she cooed at the sensation, the tingle on her lips.
She giggled at being guided back into the bed and with a sigh watched as he lingered above her. Now that the beginning of their bonding was complete she was more able to look at his body.
He'd aged, the scars from his childhood had faded further, but he was still everything she could ever imagine him to be, lean and lightly muscled, tall, lithe. She made a conscious effort not to focus on his manhood, that seemed like a bad idea when they were just coming up to that bit. Instead she focused on his light smattering of black hair, and how much she wanted to run her fingers through it.