That night, Luna met him as he left the bathroom, her bright eyes looking up at him expectantly, donned in an oversized maroon jumper which barely covered her upper thighs from his gaze.
"Severus, please don't make me sleep alone tonight in this strange place," she whispered.
"Luna -"
"Shhh. Just give in." She reached up to touch his chest.
"Luna, I do not wish to do anything either of us might regret."
"I promise not to. But you look so tired." Her hand moved from his chest to his cheek before she turned to head back toward her bedroom.
He massaged his temple as he watched her long blonde locks bounce down her frame. Did she have any idea what she was doing to his sanity? Probably. She seemed to know everything else. He groaned as followed her down the hall.
When she arrived at the threshold of her bedroom, she turned. "There you are." She reached for his hand, and he did not recoil from her soft touch. She led them to the large, four-poster bed in the center of the room. "You look wonderful in green, by the way."
He glanced down at himself. He'd forgotten about the dark green pajamas he'd donned earlier. His lip twitched momentarily into a half smile.
As before, her silver eyes pulled at him as she moved the linens back to beckon him next to her.
He moved beside her, all his words of protest stuck in his throat as she smiled at him.
"Thank you," she whispered as she lay on the pillow beside him. She closed her eyes. "Good night, Severus. Sweet dreams."
"Good night, Luna." He lay his head down and watched as her features softened and her breathing slowed. Gods, he really did have feelings for this woman. He brushed the hair from her face and sighed before closing his eyes.
He awoke the next morning to find himself alone in the large, but comfortable bed. He glanced at the bedside table to see Luna's wand gone and listened for a long moment. No sense of alarm came to him so he stretched his arms overhead and looked around the dark room. Pulling his wand from the inner pocket of his pajamas, he flicked open the large velvet shades and immediately regretted his actions as the bright sun filled the ostentatiously decorated room.
With a sigh, he climbed out of the bed and headed to the kitchen.
"Good morning," Luna smiled up at him from her spot on the kitchen floor, a sour looking, aged house elf next to her. "I was planning to make us breakfast, but Kreacher here beat me to it." She waved her hand at the plates piled high with traditional English breakfast. "It smells delicious."
He had to admit, the overflowing plates of food did look and smell delicious, but he kept those thoughts to himself.
Kreacher stared up at him with a look of unease on his small, tight features. "Mr Potter said he was having house guests. He did not specify whom. Had Kreacher known, he would have prepared maggots instead."
"I assure you, the two of us can manage without you." He frowned at the house elf. "Please tell Mr Potter as much. "
"Kreacher is a free elf. He chooses for whom and when to work. But Mr Potter pays me well, so Kreacher does as he asks," he replied mostly under his breath.
"Thank you, Kreacher. I appreciate your efforts." Luna smiled as she refilled hers and the elf's teacups and stood from the floor. "Tea, Severus?"
Kreacher eyed him before looking over to Luna as though trying to understand the situation.
"Thank you." He picked up the empty cup from the long kitchen table. "How did you sleep?"
Luna filled his cup and brushed her hand along his forearm. "Very well, thank you."
Kreacher's eyes widened briefly before he frowned. "Kreacher will be off now. Good day, Miss Luna." He bowed briefly before disapparating from the kitchen.
"Foul thing." Snape scowled. "You should not trust him. Especially now that he has no forced loyalties."
"Stop that," Luna frowned. "He is wonderful, and he prepared this generous meal for us. Let's eat and be grateful."
They sat and tucked into their breakfast. Luna hummed to herself as she worked at her plate, and he glanced over at her.
She smiled.
"You are in a good mood this morning."
"Why shouldn't I be?" Her brows knit together in legitimate question.
"Because you are stuck here with me for the foreseeable future? Anyone else would be put out by that prospect, I believe." He shrugged.
"Don't be silly, Severus. I enjoy your company. If I didn't, I would not have invited you to join me."
"I suppose even I am better than no one."
"Is that what you really think?" Her face fell. "That I would have you only to avoid being alone?"
He swallowed his bite of egg and took a sip of tea, contemplating his next words. How much did he dare reveal about his concerns that Luna was creating some fantasy to hide from her reality, that their relationship was no more real than Nargles and crumple-horned what-have-yous? "Not precisely."
"Then tell me." She put down her silverware and folded her hands into her lap.
He sighed, regretting voicing his insecurities, but also relieved to have the opportunity to question the witch's motives further. "It is more that I worry that your optimism may be clouding your judgement regarding me...regarding us."
She chewed her bottom lip for a moment. "Perhaps your pessimism is clouding yours."
He nodded. "Likely so."
"I could have chosen others you know. Neville would join me in heartbeat. Ginny too. I could have returned to Shell Cottage. Bill and Fleur are excellent protectors and would be pleasant company." She paused. "I still could if you prefer it," she nearly whispered.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, he shook his head. "I would not prefer that."
She tilted her head. "Neither would I." She picked up her silverware again and took a large bite of mushrooms.
How badly he longed to be in her head, and how easy it would be. He almost couldn't hold back as he watched her eat in silence. She was not one to be dishonest, but he found it unbelievable that she would prefer his presence to her friends.
When Luna smiled over at him and sipped her tea, he felt his mind reaching out to hers. It was too easy as her lovely eyes met his, her thoughts opened before him in a flurry of colors, emotions, and swirling visions. He sifted through her head blindly, not sure what he was hoping to find within as he picked at the food before him.
Somehow the witch managed to keep so much in the front of her thoughts; her appreciation of the food before her with simultaneous memories of Hogwarts feasts and dinners with her father, and her recent conversation with Kreacher mixed her with intense feelings of appreciation and satisfaction as well as a strange gratitude and regret for those creatures whose lives were given to create the meal she now enjoyed.
He felt it in her thoughts, the babe within her stirring. Her hand reached for her belly as her face softened, and her eyes became distant. The food stuck in his throat as a fierce wave of fulfillment washed through her thoughts into him.
As the kicks within her womb continued, her thoughts cleared and her emotions sharpened. An extreme desire to protect the growing being followed by something more complex but even more potent pushed through. He lacked the words to describe the nearly all-consuming energy that overtook her consciousness but her mind suddenly exploded with so many images that he could only catch a few; a squirming, helpless infant with eyes squeezed tight, crying out; a raven-haired beautiful toddler with bright silver eyes playing in a garden, a smile on his face; a thin young boy with a sharp nose dressed in a green jumper on what appeared to be a train platform, a Hogwarts trunk at his feet. And then he saw his own face and realized that Luna watched him, her thoughts coming to rest on his own dark-eyes and sharp nose. The all-consuming energy focused, calmed, and came to rest on the face before her and outwardly she smiled at him, but inwardly she seemed to relax and sigh a sigh of relief as the images faded.
He pulled free from her head, almost choking as he did so. "My apologies, Luna. I have crossed the line." He pushed himself from the table and hurried out of the kitchen.