Chapter 10: To Be Content

The unlikely pair walked in silence from the apparition point towards Hermione's flat, enjoying the cooling breeze of the evening, the shimmer of the lights in the night, and the very light buzz of the city around them. There was barely a handful of people about; a runner dressed in lycra passed by them quickly, and while rounding the corner, they crossed paths with an elderly gentleman walking an excitable dog.

'Good evening,' he called cheerfully.

'Good evening,' Hermione politely responded, whilst Severus nodded curtly.

Severus eyed a young couple canoodling by the bus stop across the road, clinging to one another fiercely and with complete disregard for their surroundings...unlike himself and Hermione, who opted to walk side by side lest they encounter someone they knew. This wasn't to say that the two wished to clamber over one another, but both witch and wizard did internally muse at their desire to reach out and twine their fingers together. To feel the softness of the other's flesh. Each found delight in the brief contact of their hands whenever they grazed each other in passing.

As they walked, it dawned on Severus that somewhere along the way he and Hermione had fallen into step with one another. He chuckled quietly to himself at the thought.

'Sounding a bit cheerful, there—should I be concerned?' Hermione asked with a smirk.

Laughter still evident in his voice, he said, 'We have fallen into synchronicity.'

'Is this your gentle way of telling me you don't like my pace?'

'Not at all, Hermione.' He looked towards her briefly then, smiling. 'I'm more musing at the fact that, despite trying not to, all I want to do is walk with you.'

'So our bodies are betraying us to the world, we might as well just accept it, and...I don't know, you might as well carry me home?'

'Let's not get carried away.'

'But that's exactly what I'm asking for!'

'We can't have everything we want, Ms Granger.'

'Well, you're no fun,' she teased, giving his shoulder a flick.

His only response was to lace his fingers through hers. They didn't talk the rest of the way home, instead smiling silently to themselves in the cool of the night as the stars sparkled on.

Coming through the door, Severus reached for her coat, smoothly pulling it off her shoulders as he turned to the hooks by the door. His coat joined hers within moments. She had wandered off towards the bedroom, retrieving and returning his weekender to its original size as it softly landed on the settee.

He entered the bedroom to find his bushy-haired companion face down on the mattress, lying on top of the covers with her clothes still on.

'I hope this doesn't mean that dinner went badly,' he said as he changed into a clean pair of pajama bottoms that he'd pulled from his drawer in her dresser. The thought still unnerved him: He had a drawer in her dresser at her flat. A drawer that was filled with his clothes. He shook his head lightly.

She mumbled unintelligibly into the duvet.

'I guess that means I shall be leaving, then?'

She turned her head to the side, watching him as he changed. 'I didn't take you for the sensitive type, Severus.'

'Privacy, woman!' His tone feigned shyness, yet he continued to unbutton the shirt.

'Oh, it isn't anything I haven't seen before.'

'You are changing the subject.'

'As are you.'

Changed into a pair of periwinkle pajama bottoms, he slipped in under the covers and sat back against the headboard, meeting her gaze.

'It wasn't bad at all,' said Hermione. When he looked unconvinced, she carried on. 'No, really. You were charming, and intelligent, and they enjoyed meeting you—I'm sure.'

'So what's the matter?'

She sat up then, and perched at the edge of the bed to remove her clothing.

'I just...I wasn't ready for it. I wasn't expecting—'

'That I would ever meet your parents?'

She levitated her discarded clothing into the laundry basket at the corner of the room, then turned to him with a small smile on her lips, 'No. Not exactly that.'

'To be honest, I never thought I would.'

They shared a knowing sigh. She moved back up the bed, slipping under the covers in her panties only.

'Really, Ms Granger, you have no decency.'

He reached for her hand and brought it to his chest, choosing to stare at it instead of her. 'I didn't think I ever would, or would want to...it's not what I expected. I'm still not quite sure how I should feel about it.'

She moved closer, resting herself against him. She brushed her lips against his shoulder, looking down at their entwined hands.

'How do you want to feel about it?'

'...I'm unsure.'

'Me too.'

He looked down at the top of her head. 'I do know that whatever this is, it makes me...content.'

She looked up at him then, her eyes meeting his. 'Me too.'

He kissed her gently on the lips and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her lay like that for some time, kissing and holding each other. It wasn't until some time in the early morning that Severus roused to realise that the two of them had fallen asleep talking. He smoothed his hand over her bare back, rubbing it comfortingly as he let himself return to his peaceful slumber.

A/N: First and foremost, thank you so very, very much to Tove for beta-ing this. It has been a joy working with you, and your feedback is invaluable. Secondly, I know it has been a hot minute, but thank you for all those who are reading, I hope this little fic sings to you the way it does for me. I hope you can stick with it :)