Severus was fourteen years old the first and only time Lily had ever fallen asleep in his arms. It had been completely platonic; he hadn't even tried to kiss her. It was summer break, and her parents had gone to the city for the night, leaving Petunia in charge. Petunia was furious and forbade Lily from inviting Severus over, but Lily left her bedroom window unlocked and closed her door, Severus climbed through the window and the two of them giggled and whispered while working on their summer essays and listening to The Dark Side of the Moon album over and over again.
Lily was always in charge of music. Severus had no need for background noise, but Lily did. She knew every word to anything Ringo Starr ever sang, could name every member of Pink Floyd, The Beatles, The Who, The Rolling Stones, and Led Zeppelin. She knew all of the American bands and had somehow managed to get her hands on quite a few albums. She could talk for hours on end about music, and he would hang on to her every word.
Lily's favorite song on The Dark Side of the Moon album was Time, she would pull the needle from the record the moment the final tune sounded on the song and knew the exact ridge in the vinyl to place the needle to start it over again without even causing it to scratch and jump. Severus wasn't as good at it as she was, so she rarely put him in charge of replaying the song for her. He was, however, great at changing the vinyl and putting it back in its exact spot on her dresser. His favorite song on the album was The Great Gig in the Sky, but it made Lily sad, so she would only allow him to play it twice any time they listened to it. If he closed his eyes, he could still see Lily singing and dancing around the room that night like it was yesterday. He would give anything to go back in time and dance with her like she had begged him to. Halfway through the first listen of The Great Gig in the Sky that evening, Lily began to sob.
"It's okay, Lily, we can change it. We can put Time on, we don't have to listen to this one anymore, really. I don't even like it that much, honest!" Severus pleaded with her and tried to pry her hands away from her eyes.
"It isn't that, Sev. It's Tuney. She hates me, she'll always hate me!" Lily sobbed as she wiped her nose with the back of her hand before falling back on the bed and staring up at the glow in the dark stars they had stuck to the ceiling. Severus laid next to her, and Lily scooted in closer to him before hugging him around the waist.
"I don't see why you care so much. We're better than Petunia."
"Don't say that, Sev!" Lily exclaimed, smacking him playfully on the shoulder. "You don't get it because you haven't got siblings. She is—was my best friend."
"I thought I was your best friend?" Severus whispered, his heart pounding in his chest from having her so close to him.
"You are my best friend. Before, I meant. Before I met you, before I found out about what we are. It was always just me and Tuney."
Severus couldn't be sure which of them fell asleep first, he only remembered the sound of Petunia slamming the door against the wall as she barged in, and the ear shattering screech of the record player when she kicked it over. Severus and Lily both jerked from their sleep at sat straight up in bed, Lily scooting over a few inches so she was no longer touching him. Both of their eyes were wide with shock, Petunia's mouth hung open for a moment before she scrunched her face up as it turned beet red.
"I'm telling Mummy!" Petunia shouted, "I'm telling Mummy you and that Snape boy were having sex!" Petunia bolted from the room and down the stairs.
Missus Evans wasn't even home, she wouldn't be until the following morning. This logic didn't stop Lily from chasing her sister down the stairs while begging her not to say anything. Severus wasn't sure just how the conversation with the Evans' went the following day, Lily refused to tell him. He wasn't allowed to come inside of their house after that, though. Her parents had never fully liked him, they tolerated his presence for Lily's sake, they downright hated him after that night, and he hadn't even done anything wrong.
Some mornings, when her head was buried in his neck, and her eyes were closed, he could imagine that his wife was Lily, and he was fourteen years old again, holding her against him while they slept. It was not right, not fair to her to have a life with him. He would never love her, not with the same intensity that he loved Lily. She had told him during a fight that she loved him, she held his face in her gentle hands while looking into his eyes to tell him that it was true. He wanted to shake her in that moment, tell her that she was being unreasonable, but the feeling it gave him made forget everything bad he had done, everything that he must do. It made him realize just how young she is, how full of promise, how much life she had left to live. He was holding her back, he knew that he was, but he had also kept her alive. He knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that she would be dead right now had he not gotten her out of that cellar. Yet, he kept her locked in his private room at Hogwarts for months on end, and in the end, couldn't even be bothered to go to her. It wasn't that he didn't want to see her, because God knows he did. It was because he could not look into her eyes knowing that he was the man who would kill Albus Dumbledore in less than one year.
Four days after the death of Sirius Black, Albus called him in to his office. His was weak, on the verge of death. His hand was blackened and useless. Severus tried every counter-curse he knew, brewed every potion he could think of, was desperate for a fix, but it was no use. They both knew that Albus had waited too long to show him. He had contained the curse to his hand, to the best of his ability. Why did he put the damned ring on? Albus was smarter than that; he knew better, goddamn it!
Albus knew about The Dark Lord's plan to have Draco kill him; the plan was set in to motion the very night of the failure of the Ministry. Severus went straight to Albus, told him every detail of the plan, and the man knew that he was ill, knew that it would not be Draco that would be killing him, yet he waited days before filling Severus in on that little detail. He couldn't return to his wife after that; at first it was due to the fight, he would not lie about being more than a little irritated with her. When Albus finally told him his plan, he went back to Spinner's End and sobbed for what felt like days. When word got out, and it certainly would get out, Severus would lose everything. The friendship he had with Minnie, the trust of The Order and fellow Hogwarts staff, and the love of his wife.
All for Lily.
Draco received his mark only hours after his father's arrest. The boy was terrified, rightfully so. His wife should have received hers the very same night. The Dark Lord was growing suspicious, no longer trusted the same line Severus fed him week after week. He knew that she was not as ill as Severus led on. It was due to this suspicion that The Dark Lord employed Wormtail to spy on him in his own home.
The Dark Lord delivers Wormtail to his home shortly before nightfall on their second day back home. The night before, Severus had slipped out of bed in the wee hours of morning to brew Weakness Potion while his wife slept. With the protection of the Bubble-Head Charm, he had been able to pop the cork on the vial to poison his wife before she woke, and then sporadically throughout the day as he awaited The Dark Lord. She had no idea that it was him that had been making her sick as she moaned in bed, too sick to call for him, too weak to pry herself from her pillow.
As The Dark Lord entered his home and looked around the small parlor, Severus could hear his wife's moans from the floor above. The Dark Lord looked at him accusingly, then pushed his way past him and up the stairs. Severus followed closely behind, not daring to protest, and pushed Wormtail back down the stairs when he attempted to follow. The Dark Lord had his hand on his wife's forehead when he entered the room, making a tisking noise as he trailed a finger down her sweaty face. She truly looked the part; her already pale skin had taken on a yellow tone, her lips were slightly blue tinged, and she was sweating profusely. There was no doubt that she was truly suffering in that moment.
"Such a shame." The Dark Lord whispered to no one in particular before turning to Severus. "Such a lovely girl."
"As I said, My Lord, she has her days."
"You have the patience of a saint, Severus. It has been months." He produces his wand and uses the tip to turn his wife's face as she moans in protest, her eyes remain closed, unaware of who is moving her. Severus stiffens, terrified of what He will do to her.
"It is only that I know her potential, My Lord. It would be a shame to….waste it."
"I expect the plan to go through this term, Severus. It was your idea, after all. I am trusting you with it. I want her in Hogwarts. It is vital for our success."
"Yes, My Lord. She will be there."
Severus takes a deep breath as he hears The Dark Lord depart, locks Wormtail in the attic where the rat will remain for the duration of the summer and returns to his wife. He sits by her side, rummages in his pocket for a vial, and gently cups her head in his hands as he pours an Antidote to Uncommon Poisons down her throat. She moans and shivers, but comes to before long, grasping his cloak as if her life depended on it.
"Severus," She moaned as she clutched his sleeve, "I don't feel so good."
"You have been quite ill today." He pulls her against his chest and tries to smooth the hair from her damp forehead when he notices her face begin to turn green.
He barely gets her head turned before she vomits all down his legs, feet, and the floor. The smell of it burning his nose and causing him to heave along with her. Severus lies her back in bed while she whines her apology, then produces his wand tucked into his sleeve to cast Tergeo on the mess before changing his trousers. He makes his way back to her side to kiss her forehead, her color was slowly returning, another dose of Antidote to Uncommon Potions was not needed.
"How are you feeling? Would you like some tea?" He whispers to her as he smooths the hair from her face once more.
"I'm so sorry, Sev." She whispers between her dry, crackled lips. Her breath reeks of the acidic stench of bile, he backs away several inches.
"Do not call me Sev." Severus snaps at her; Lily was the only person to have ever called him Sev, and he was not about to allow her Doppelganger to call him by the same name. Her eyes widen for a moment at his outburst but calm once he pats her hand with his own. "It is alright. You are ill. I've given you a drought. You will begin to feel better shortly."
A week passes as they begin to settle into a daily routine. Severus offers his bride his arm at precisely eight each evening and leads her down the cobblestone streets for their daily afternoon walk. He feels a sense of pride with her on his arm as people stare at them. She is utterly beautiful, and his is….him. On more than one occasion, Severus had attempted to bring her into a shop, but she clung to his arm and shook like a frightened child at all of the people inside. He could hardly get her out of the door before she would begin to hyperventilate and tense up. It was the third time when she began to tear at her hair that he decided the ordeal stressed her entirely too much and took on the shopping alone, while she was safe at home and Wormtail was locked in the attic. He theorized that her outbursts were due to months being locked alone at Hogwarts, and her subconscious protecting her after her ordeal with Carrow. At any rate, he would need to slowly acclimate her back into society before allowing her to be thrown into the bustling life of Hogwarts.
It was near the middle of their second week at home, it was a dreary, wet day, which meant they could not go on their evening stroll around the river. True to her word, his wife had taken to cooking them a meal almost every evening, this night was no different. She had spent the majority of her evening cooking them a delicious pot of potato soup, and they ate together in near silence. Wormtail would be let out while she bathed that evening to do the washing up, he still had not allowed him to be near her.
Shortly before she normally retired to the bath, she stood unexpectedly from her normal spot on the couch. Severus looked up from the paper he had been reading in his chair and glanced at her, she took the paper gently from his hands and sat it on the round coffee table before them. He knew what she was going to do; the same thing she had done nearly every night since the two of them had been there. He made no move to stop her.
She straddled his lap as he reflexively undid the top buttons of his robe to allow her access to his neck. The feeling of her lips on his flesh enough to instantly harden him each and every time. As expected, she twirled her tongue expertly around his Adam's apple, then back up the sweet spot just below his ear that she knew he loved. Severus leans his head back against the chair and lets out a deep moan as nips at the soft skin beneath his chin. His fingertips dance across her thighs as he pushes the fabric of her flowing skirt further up. Much to his surprise, she was not wearing undergarments. She removes her lips from his neck, much to his displeasure, and grins at him as he grips her waist tightly. Her hands trail down his body and find the button of his trousers, he leans back further against the chair to give her more leverage to free his throbbing erection.
Once she has freed him, she does something she has never done before. She slides her body from his; at first, he expects her to strip before him, instead, she drops to her knees at his feet, all while grinning up at him mischievously. She grips him firmly in her soft hands, dips her head down, and licks the tip of his erection like a cat. The shock wave shot through his body enough to lift him from the chair. His mouth hangs open as he looks down at her licking the underside of him, one hand remains wrapped around the base, the other grips his thigh. Severus tenses, unsure of what to do, but not wanting her to stop. His hands are clenched in tight fists on the arm rests, his heart pounds in his chest. The feeling is unlike anything he has ever experienced. Finally, she takes him in her mouth and closes her eyes. She gags slightly at the size of him while he moans his praise to her. If she keeps this up, he will spill in her mouth. The thought of it makes him sweat; whether it was in fear of her reaction, or the further arousal that this act would elicit, he couldn't be sure.
Just as he begins to think he can't possibly last any longer, she removes him from her warm mouth and wipes a trail of saliva from her chin with the back of her hand. She hikes her skirt up and places her legs on either side of him. She slides herself down on him, eliciting a moan from both of their throats. The feeling of being buried inside of her indescribable, the warmth and dampness of her making his eyes roll into the back of his head. She rides him slowly at first, gripping his shoulders and moaning into his ear while he clutches her waist, doing his best to keep from lifting her from his lap to take control. She kisses him sweetly on the lips, her mouth tasting of the cinnamon disk he had given her after dinner, and the lingering saltiness of his own arousal.
He was not going to last long; he rarely did, the feeling of her was far too intense. Severus removes his hands from her waist and slides one under her shirt to fondle her breast, the other ventures between her legs to massage her the way that he knew she loved. Her body jerks the moment his fingertip grazes her clitoris. He rubs his fingers in a circle, faster and faster until she presses her hand against his chest, leans her head back, and screams as she clenches around him, all while riding him as hard as her legs could handle.
Severus groans loudly as finishes shortly after she does, the feeling of her pulsating around him always being too much for him to bear. He understood now why men tend to go mad for women. If they all felt the way his wife does, how does one think of anything else? She was insatiable, ravenous for his own body and God did he lust for her as passionately as she did him. He had heard the jokes of men not lasting long, but his wife did not seem to mind, he always ensured that she receive ample pleasure from their copulation. The fact of the matter being that he was no longer a young man, he was nearing forty, and she was the only woman he had ever laid with. They were both lucky he lasted as long as he did.
She pulls herself off of him with, leaving him damp and chilled from her departure, and kisses the tip of his nose before resting her forehead against his. Both of their hearts beat fast in their chests as they pant. She pulls her head away from his and looks into his eyes.
"You have got the most beautiful eyes." She whispers, then kisses him on the lips once more.
Severus scoffs. She could lie to herself and say that she loved him all she wanted, but she did not need to lie directly to his face to….to do what, exactly?
"It's true." She says, staring in to his eyes as she smooths the hair from his face, tucking strands behind his ears. "Your eyes are so—I don't know. Intense, expressive, beautiful."
Her eyes hold no sense of betrayal, no underlying mischief. He wished desperately that he could take a glance at whatever was in her head, but he knew it was no use even trying. Severus never thought he would experience this. Never in his wildest fantasies could he even imagine having a woman—his woman, sit on his lap and tell him that he had beautiful eyes, tell him that she loved him. Guilt racks his conscious once more, knowing that he could not keep her. Each time he looked into her eyes, he was terrified it would be the final time she looked at him with such trust and admiration. Once she knew what he would have to do, he would disgust her. Perhaps it is why he had given in to her every whim throughout the two weeks they had been back at Spinner's End. He knew that it would end.
"I'm going to have a bath." His wife announces and kisses him once more on the lips before removing herself from his lap.
"Your potion is on the vanity. Do not forget to take it. Preferably before you have your bath." Severus states as he tucks himself back into his trousers. No sooner than her feet hit the bottom step, a knock sounds at the front door. They both freeze, her eyes wide and fear stricken, her mouth slightly open. "Go upstairs. Get in the bath. Do not come back down until I get you." Severus demands as he makes his way to the front door.
Severus peaks through the curtains on the front door, a cloaked woman stands on the stoop, a second stands back a few feet from her. Severus turns, listening to his wife's feet scurry up the stairs, and the water begin to run in the tub. He opens the door a crack and the woman removes her hood, her blonde hair drenched in the evening downpour.
"Narcissa!" He fakes politeness as he opens the door wider. "What a pleasant surprise!"
"Severus," Narcissa's voice is hoarse, barely audible over the rush of the river beyond them and the rain crashing to the ground. "May I speak to you? It is urgent."
"But of course."
Severus stands back and opens the door wide for her to enter, her sister, Bellatrix, pushing her way in directly after. He gestures for them to sit on the sofa as he takes his own seat in the chair. The air is thick with the scent of sex, but he makes no move to cover it. Let him bask in it; let them know what they had narrowly interrupted.
Narcissa casts her cloak aside and takes his wife's seat, Bellatrix stands guard behind her sister. Their eyes, the jaw, the tips of their ears, all mirrored on his wife's angelic face. The anger that bubbles inside of him comes from nowhere, he must swallow hard to keep the bile of it from burning his throat. Bellatrix stares him down, undoubtedly wishing to say something, but biting her tongue for her sisters sake.
"So, what can I do for you?" Severus asks, hoping to get rid of them quickly so that he can join his wife upstairs.
"We….we are alone, aren't we?" Narcissa breathes, her voice barely audible.
"Of course. Well, Wormtail's here, but we're not counting vermin, are we?"
"And you wife?" Bellatrix spits her venom in his direction.
"She is having a bath upstairs, Bella. Not that it is any of your concern." Severus spits back at her and produces his wand. He points it towards the bookshelf near the stairs where his wife had disappeared, a hidden door appears to reveal a narrow staircase with a distressed looking Wormtail. He cowers for a moment, then emerges into the room. "As you have clearly realized, Wormtail, we have guests."
"Narcissa, Bellatrix, how charming—" Wormtail squeaks as he wriggles his rat-like nose.
"Wormtail will fetch us some drinks, and then return to his room." Severus says as Wormtail flinches as though he had struck him.
"I am not your servant!" Wormtail attempts to protest.
"Oh, really? I was under the impression that The Dark Lord brought you here to assist me." Severus raises his brow at Wormtail, daring him to further object.
"To assist you, yes. Not listen to you have sex all day and clean your house!" Wormtail says, Bellatrix snickers.
"You will hold your tongue, Wormtail!" Severus barks, clenching his fists on the arm of his chair. "I had no idea that you were craving more dangerous assignments. This can easily be arranged. I will speak to The Dark—"
"I can speak for myself if I want to!" Wormtail objects, though his voice is not entirely convincing.
"Of course, you can." Severus sneers at him. "In the meantime, bring some drink. The elf-made wine in the cupboard will do." Severus watches as Wormtail disappears into the kitchen. He hears the clink of wine glasses from behind the wall, and Wormtail reappears, carrying three glasses and the nearly full bottle of wine he had opened for his wife the night they had come home.
Wormtail deposits the glasses and wine on the round table before them and returns through the hidden door in the bookshelf. "The Dark Lord." Severus toasts and brings the glass to his lips. He hates the taste of the wine; he stifles a gag as he follows the women's lead and drains his own glass. Severus refills their glasses and leans back in his chair. He hears a small commotion behind the bookshelf, he produces his wand and sends a blast through it. Wormtail scurries up the stairs away from the door, he casts Muffliato to be sure he is not eavesdropping, and to prevent his wife from overhearing anything they may discuss. Narcissa jumps slightly at the sound, Bellatrix glares at him from behind her sister.
"He has taken to listening at doors, I do not know what he means by it." Severus explains. "You were saying, Narcissa?"
"Severus, I know I ought not be here, I have been told to say nothing to anyone, but—" Narcissa begins, her face full of sorrow and fear, before her sister cuts her off.
"Then you ought to hold your tongue!" Bellatrix spits at her sister. "Particularly in present company!"
"Present company?" Severus asks, raising one brow at Bellatrix. "And what am I to understand by that, Bellatrix?"
"That I do not trust you, Snape, as you very well know!" Bellatrix shouts at him. Narcissa makes a strangled noise and brings her hands to her face to hide the tears in her eyes. Severus clenches his fists on the arms of the chair and smirks up at Bellatrix.
"Narcissa, I think we ought to hear what Bellatrix is bursting to say; it will save tedious interpretations. Well, continue Bellatrix. Why is it that you do not trust me?"
"A hundred reason!" Bellatrix stomps her foot like a child and sneers at him before she makes her way around the sofa and slams her empty glass of wine on the table. "Where to start! Where were you when The Dark Lord fell? Why did you never make any attempts to find him? What have you been doing all these years that you lived in Dumbledore's pocket? Why did you stop the Dark Lord procuring the Stone? Why did you not return at once when The Dark Lord was reborn? Where were you a few weeks ago when we battled to retrieve the prophecy for The Dark Lord? Why is Harry Potter still alive, when you have had him at your mercy for five years? And why has your wife not received her Mark? More than that, why has she not been present at a single meeting?"
Severus watches as her chest rises and falls with each breath and her fists shake with the force at which they are clenched at her sides. He smiles at her, daring her to strike. The look on her face so strikingly like his wife was the day that she told her that Sirius Black was dead.
"Before I answer you—" Bellatrix sneers once more at him and opens her mouth to interject, Severus holds a hand up to stop her. "Oh yes, Bellatrix, I am going to answer! You can carry my words back to the others who whisper behind my back and carry false tales of my treachery to The Dark Lord! Before I answer you, I say, let me ask a question in turn. Do you truly think that The Dark Lord has not asked me each and every one of those questions? And do you truly believe, had I not been able to give satisfactory answers, I would be sitting here talking to you?" Severus raises his brow and smirks at her, daring her to continue.
Severus and Bellatrix quarrel for what feels like an eternity. Her, once again, accusing him of being a spy. Him, once again pointing out her faults. Finally, he leaves her speechless with logic and she stares at him unhappily.
"And as for my wife, Bellatrix," Severus continues, his fists still clenched on the arm rests. "She remains ill. The Dark Lord himself has seen this not two weeks ago. I invite you to take the matter up with him, if you still doubt her health."
"Bring her down, Snape." Bellatrix demands through clenched teeth.
"Very well." Severus stands, looking down at Bellatrix still sitting on the couch. "I will interrupt her bath to ease your concerns. I must warn you though, she is prone to rather….intense bouts of vomiting. I'm sure it won't put too much of a damper on this beautiful family reunion." Severus' tone is thick with sarcasm as he smirks back at Bellatrix.
"No!" Narcissa speaks up. "No, it is quite alright. Leave her be. I came to speak with you, Severus."
"Very well." Severus begins as he makes his way back to his seat. "Now you came to ask me for help, Narcissa?"
Narcissa's face twists in anguish. She begs, pleads, sobs for him to do something, anything to save her only son. Severus looks away from her tear streaked face, not daring to have sympathy for her. He liked Draco, one could even go as far as saying he loved him, but he could not look into his mother's eyes and tell her that her son would fail. This would mean not only death for Draco, but possibly her as well. Narcissa Malfoy is many things, but an unloving mother is not one of them. Severus stands and makes his way to the window, he pulls the curtain back slightly to peer outside; he had wondered if the rain had let up, he would like to walk with his wife after this. It had not let up, in fact, it was raining harder.
Narcissa's pleading continues, as he turns to attempt to quiet her, she stands and staggers to him. She clutches the front of his robes as though he were the only thing keeping her form simply floating away. He pries her hands from his robe and steers her back to the couch. He pours her another glass of wine to calm her nerves and forces it into her hands. She slings it away and slides from the sofa and onto the stained carpeted floor, she grabs his hand in hers and brings it to her lips. She is unhinged. He does not know what it is like to have a child, and he hopes he will never have to learn, especially if it forces one to behave as Narcissa currently is.
"If you are there to protect him…Severus, will you swear it? Will you make the Unbreakable Vow?" Narcissa gazes up at him with tears streaming down her face. He had feared it would come to this when she first began begging.
"The Unbreakable Vow?" He repeats, keeping his expression blank. Bellatrix cackles, Narcissa sniffles.
"Aren't you listening, Narcissa? Oh, he'll try. I'm sure….The usual empty words, the usual slithering out of action….Oh, on The Dark Lord's orders, of course!"
"Certainly, Narcissa, I shall make the Unbreakable Vow." Severus whispers. "Perhaps your sister will consent to be our Bonder?"
Severus consents to each Vow, his pale face glowing red as three strands of red shoot from the tip of Bellatrix's wand, snaking around his and Narcissa's joined hands, binding him to her in duty.
He does not plan to make it out of yet another war alive. He will kill Albus Dumbledore. He will lie and say that it was for Draco and Narcissa. He will pass vital information to Harry Potter, for Lily. And he will leave everything he owns to his wife. With any luck, he will be dead before his fortieth birthday.
Each evening after the two had returned from their walk, Severus teaches his wife how to cast a Patronus in the front parlor. The look on her face as she watched his doe stroll around the room before dissipating before their eyes brought a smile to his own face. She had taken to it right away but had yet to produce a corporal Patronus. Wisps of silver burst from the end of her wand and sprayed the room in bright, white light each time. She was proud enough of herself and beamed from ear to ear each time the light shone on her face, but it was rather useless for her to know the spell if she could not produce a corporal Patronus.
Finally, a little more than one week before they are due to return to Hogwarts, the two of them sit once more in their usual spots in the parlor. Her wand clutched in her hand, him reading the days paper. Occasionally he glances up to catch sight of his wife smile as the streams of light erupt from the tip of her wand. He smiles to himself each time he catches hers, thankful that the newspaper covers his face. She was not as frustrated at her lack of Patronus as he had expected her to be, but that did not stop her from trying to guess what it might be. At first, she thought it would be a cat, then changed her mind and figured it would be a bird, now, however, she was hoping for a hippogriff.
They both freeze when on her final attempt, a tiny winged creature bursts from the end of her wand. She watches in awe as it flutters throughout the room before dissipating before their eyes. The look on her face unlike anything he had ever experienced before.
It was a bat.
Hours later, Severus holds his wife in bed. Her soft breath tickling the skin on his neck as she rests her head on his shoulder. Neither of them are asleep, but they lay in silence, listening to one another breathe. The plan had initially been to have his mother's room be hers, and him to remain in his own room across the hall. It had never worked. The first time she had been here, he had slept in the vanity chair next to her bed each night. This time, he had missed the feeling of her pressed against him every morning and took it upon himself to remain in the room with her. His own room was slightly bigger, but he was not ready to remove the framed pictures of him and Lily throughout their childhood and did not wish to answer any questions she may have pertaining to them. It was bad enough that she had already asked him how he knew Sirius Black, and he was forced to tell her that he was a raging asshole up until the day he died. At least he hadn't been breaking any fantasy she had regarding the man. She didn't even know him.
"Will I have to get one?" His wife whispers, breaking the silence in the room. Severus raises his brow at her, not sure what she was referring to. Her eyes flicker to his left arm, and he suddenly understands.
"I am doing everything within my power to prevent it."
"Thank you." She whispers before lifting her head and kissing him gently on the lips. "Are you prepared to teach first years potions, yet?" She jokes, attempting to lighten the mood. She had not asked who was at the door, and he had not divulged. He could tell, however, that she had been on edge since Narcissa and Bellatrix departed.
"I will not be teaching potions this year." She lifts herself on to her elbow and raises one brow at him in question. "I have accepted the position as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this coming term."
She beams at him. A genuine, ear to ear smile. She leans forward, ready to kiss him once more, before her face suddenly falls in realization.
"It…..it isn't really cursed, is it?" She asks, brow scrunched with worry.
"No. It is not." He lies.
The position was cursed, at least it had been, up until two months ago when The Dark Lord lifted the curse for him to accept the position, and ultimately live to see himself become headmaster the following year. She did not need to know this final part, yet.
"Good." She states flatly before settling back down on his shoulder. "I don't know what I would do without you."