Severus lay in his bed trying to catch his breath. Sweat beaded along his hairline, the thin sheets of the bed covered his naked form. He could hear the shower running in the bathroom. He thought back to how he wound up in this particular situation. He wondered if the woman who left him sated in his bed, now currently showering, felt the same way about him as he did her.
It was mere months ago when he was certain she felt nothing but contempt for him and he felt the same towards her. She was an anomaly to be sure. An American muggle turned witch following an intense traumatic event which should have killed her. The American wizarding government, MACUSA, had no clue what to do with her and thus sent her to Hogwarts to learn to harness and control her magic. Severus had been personally appointed to see to her education by the Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall.
Her name was y/n. A 30 year old woman with no familial history of magic. By all intents and purposes she was as much a muggle as one could be; that was until one fateful night she was violently set upon by an obscurial. The attack left her nearly dead, discovered by American Aurors who had been hunting the creature. The attack left a black mark upon her chest over her heart, likely to be permanent. Upon her recovery, the magic, which lay dormant her whole life, stirred from its hibernation, presenting itself in peculiar ways. Much like a young child coming into their own abilities, it escaped in powerful and unpredictable bursts.
Severus sat up in his bed. He laid his head back against the headboard closing his eyes. A quiet content sigh escaped him. He thought back to their first intimate moment. The night that had set into motion the odd connection they shared.
Through weeks of practice and frustration she was slowly learning to channel her magic and use it. The lessons were long, tiring and difficult for both of them. Y/n was stubborn and expected results too hastily. Severus never relented with her, he never paid her a single compliment, never gave her the satisfaction of an impressed nod. And he could tell she hated him for it.
The evening their courtship began, she had awoken in the night by her terrifying dreams. When she slept, she relived the obscurial's attack over and over. Because of these night terrors, her personal room was in the dungeons near Severus. More often than not, her nightmares became too overwhelming; he would be awoken by her frantic knocking on his door seeking relief. He could quickly administer calming droughts and dreamless sleep potions to allow the woman some semblance of peace. It was a reliance upon him that she disliked even more than the lessons he gave. And she was more than vocal about it.
One evening, the night terrors were particularly bothersome. No amount of potions could seem to quell the storm within her mind and heart. More than once she appeared at his door that night, tears streaming down her face, her body trembling, goose flesh covering her arms. Everytime before then, he merely thrust the vials in her hand and would close the door immediately, but having already given her two doses that night, he knew he couldn't administer a third. Severus sighed with annoyance and brought her into his room for the first time. She immediately sat in an armchair near his bed, she wrapped her arms around herself shaking violently. Severus studied her with a cold stare.
"Can I have another calming drought?" She pleaded.
Severus did not respond. She understood the answer in his silence. Both knew that her reliance upon the potion was too deep as it was. She was becoming dependant, a side-effect Severus had warned her about.
"I can't be alone. Don't make me leave. Please."
Severus looked down at her for a moment contemplating what to do. He weighed his options. He could kick her out back to her own room, but suspected it would only be a matter of time before she re-appeared disturbing him once again. Or he could allow her to stay and he may actually get a moment of sleep for himself.
Severus collected the heavy wool blanket from his bed and threw it over her. She grabbed at the scratchy fabric pulling it over her shoulders for warmth. She curled up in the armchair attempting to settle down. The old chair creaked and groaned as she tried to find a comfortable position. Severus removed his boots and began to prepare himself for bed. He felt aloof to her being there and resigned to continue his nightly ritual unimpeded by her presence. He removed his shirt and left for the private bathroom for several minutes. When he emerged she was still on his armchair huddled under the blanket, her trembles had calmed, but hadn't stopped completely.
Severus removed his trousers. Any normal night, he would sleep nude, but even he wouldn't go that far in his indifference towards her. Wearing only his undergarments he slipped under the sheets of his bed. He took one more look at her huddled mass before dimming the candle lights.
The armchair seemed to grunt and complain under her as she fidgeted upon it. Severus grit his teeth. He wanted so badly to throw her out into the corridor and be rid of her. He closed his eyes trying to ignore the annoyance. The insufferable woman would not sit still. Severus lay on his back keeping his eyes closed. After several more creaks and groans of the armchair, he heard her stand up. He could hear the ruffle of the heavy blanket she carried and heard her footsteps move to the bed. The mattress sagged slightly as she put her weight upon it. He could tell she was trying not to disturb him.
Severus contemplated if he should stop her. If this situation was bordering on impropriety. But something stopped him. The feeling of another person sharing his bed was entirely unfamiliar to him, but the soft presence of a woman was not terribly unwelcome. He felt a rush of warmth as she draped the heavy blanket over the both of them and he felt her shift down into the bed, her trembling finally quelched. She curled herself around the thin pillow with her back to him. He could feel her body even though they did not touch. She laid still, and after some time he could hear her breath calming to a steady rhythm as she finally was overtaken by sleep.
Severus sighed, reset his head on his own pillow and felt the realm of dreams envelope him as well.
When morning came, Severus awoke feeling her body pressed against him. Her head resting upon his chest and her arm draped over his stomach. His own arm had found its way wrapped over her shoulder while they slept. He laid still not knowing how to proceed with this discovery. The warmth and comfort of a familiar woman's body had stirred feelings within him that he did not want to push away. He let her lie there, still and calm in her sleep. His fingers, unprovoked, began to draw lazy patterns over her shoulder.
There was a subtle sense of comfort in lying next to her. Slowly she stirred. He looked down watching her eyelids flutter open. For a moment they both looked into each other's eyes. Neither said a word to the other. As her mind awakened to the realization of their proximity, Severus was surprised to see she didn't jerk back from him. No look of disgust or resentment crossed her face. She remained still. He could see in her face she had finally found peaceful sleep there, in his bed, next to months of torment gone from under her eyes allowing her natural beauty to shine through.
She sat up slowly and stepped out of the bed, stealing away into the bathroom. Severus continued to lay in the bed mulling over the night before. Awaking with her in his arms was more intimate than he was used to feeling. When she re-entered the bedroom, she looked at him as if she wanted to say something, but neither spoke for a long time. She finally broke the silence.
"Thank you. I'll meet you in your office to continue our lessons after breakfast." And with that, she exited his room.
Severus felt the bed cooling where her warm body had lay. He felt an emptiness within his stomach as her scent dissipated from his sheets.
That evening had begun a new routine for the pair. Each night y/n would attempt to sleep within the bed of her own chambers, but when the night terrors took hold, she would steal away to his room. Severus no longer offered her the vials of potions, instead, he would silently open the door for her, allowing her to enter, and she would slip into his bed once again. Ever since that night, the two would fall asleep in each other's arms. A sleep neither could obtain without the other's presence.