XXI

Huge thanks to both Sun and Keladry for their sharp eyes and kind encouragement.

This chapter is dedicated to Maddyriddle. *hugs*

Friday passed in a blur of academics. It started when she and Severus got into a discussion on the potion essay she was due to turn in that morning. The discussion had got slightly out of hand, and in the end, she needed a note from Severus explaining to Dumbledore why she was late.

Dumbledore had been suitably amused. He even let her stay a few minutes after class to finish up her potion. Of course, as he was doing paperwork while she tended her potion, it wasn't a huge sacrifice on his part.

After a rushed lunch, she made it to Transfiguration on time, although she did panic a bit when McGonagall announced that they would be taking an abbreviated, mock NEWT that class period. Needless to say, she wanted to review the questions after class, despite the loud groan that elicited from Harry.

By the time dinner was through, she had convinced herself that she would get a lousy score on the test because she knew – just knew – she had misspelled one of the spells in her haste to answer the questions completely. If she'd been so rushed as to do that, there was no telling what other mistakes she'd made.

She was still reeling in the shame of it when Severus came by to pick her up.

"Have you finished, my dear?" he asked, startling her out of her worry.

She looked up quickly before taking a big breath and exhaling, trying to relax. She nodded and gave him a small smile. "I don't think I could eat another bite."

He smirked, although it fell slightly when he glanced down at her mostly full plate. "Are you sure? You've hardly touched your meal."

"I'm stuffed, " Hermione said. When he furrowed his brow and opened his mouth to protest, she looked around and noticed people were starting to stare at them, so she added hastily, "Really, I'm full."

An eyebrow of his made its way up as he looked at her doubtfully, but much to her relief, he didn't press the issue; perhaps he was aware of the Gryffindors staring at him as well. Instead, he extended his hand, which she gratefully accepted.

They left the whispering Gryffindor table and leisurely made their way up to her room. Severus accepted her invitation in, and they settled themselves comfortably on the sofa. Severus then called and dispatched a house-elf for some wine and cheese.

"Really, Severus, I'm not hungry," Hermione protested.

Severus just raised an eyebrow at her. "And who said it was for your enjoyment, my dear?"

Hermione flushed and then frowned. She opened her mouth to protest, but stopped when his lips quirked minutely. Pinching her mouth shut, she glared at him and snorted in annoyance. Before she could come up with any halfway decent retort, the cheese plate appeared, as did a bottle of red.

Severus immediately helped himself to some roquefort. Hermione wrinkled her nose in distaste, having never liked blue cheese. Severus saw her look and grinned, smacking his lips just slightly.

"I must say cheese is a wonderful way to finish a meal. Wouldn't you agree, my dear?"

She shook her head, slightly overwhelmed by the smell of some warm brie. It smelled rather like dirty nappies, but she did love the taste, especially slathered on fresh French bread, which had also been provided.

Her mind having been thoroughly diverted from worrying about her test results, she found that she was starting to salivate. She also noticed her stomach was rumbling very slightly. She looked up to see Severus watching her with amusement and almost decided to not eat anything just to spite him, but quickly realized that would be beyond foolish.

Taking a chunk of bread, she served herself some brie and, finishing that off rather quickly, moved on to the cheddar and then the wensleydale. By the time she had tasted all but the roquefort, she was feeling a little more honestly satisfied.

Sighing, she leaned back and smiled at Severus. "Oh, thank you for that! I guess I didn't realize how hungry I actually was."

He smirked in a self-satisfied way. "Would you care for any wine?"

Hermione hesitated, knowing how readily she reacted to wine, but soon nodded. He poured her a glass, which she sipped carefully. She leaned back again and watched as Severus served himself a little more of the white stilton.

She found herself entranced at the way his lips parted as he delicately nibbled on the cheese-laden cracker, careful not to spill a crumb. She was fascinated by his expression of enjoyment. It wasn't something she saw very often on his face.

She also found herself wanting to ask him probing questions, so she took another sip of wine. A few minutes later, she was on her second glass and realized belatedly that sipping wine probably wasn't ideal as a diversion for her curiosity as it only lowered her inhibitions.

Severus had finished his cheese and was leaning back against the opposite sofa arm, looking more relaxed than she had ever seen him without the aid of a calming draught. He caught her staring at him and smirked slightly.

"You look curious, my dear."

She tilted her head and grinned back. "I'm trying not to be."

He raised his eyebrow. "That sounds rather insulting." He was still relaxed and smirking, so she assumed he wasn't insulted.

"I just don't want to offend you by asking the wrong questions."

He lost his smirk to a small scowl, though he still looked quite relaxed. "That doesn't sound like I've done a good job of letting you get to know me."

She snorted. "On the contrary, darling," she said, mildly aware that her tongue was now only tangentially connected to her brain, "I think it shows that I'm learning your boundaries quite well."

He flushed at her endearment, and she realized then that he was as drunk as she was. She vaguely wondered if their wine had been tampered with.

"Yes, well, there's still something off about that," he muttered, looking down at his glass.

"The wine?"

He looked up and smiled. "No, silly, the questions. How are we ever going to get to know each other well enough to shag, if we're afraid to ask each other the important questions?"

It was her turn to blush, although she was aware that her cheeks had been hot for a while. She forced her mind back to his question and blushed even more.

"Is shagging the goal, then?"

He snorted. "Of course it is!"

She raised her eyebrows, and he blushed while trying to backtrack. "Of course there's more to it than just shagging, but I'll admit that I want to make you mine, completely, wholly. I want to touch you and see you melt just a little, and then melt a little more when I touch you somewhere else. I want to see you relax under my influence and be happy and content. I want to see you looking at me as I pleasure you and know that you want me, that you need me. I want you to know that I'm doing everything for you. That I'm yours."

He'd started off apologetic, but by the time he'd said the last words, he was leaning forward earnestly and rubbing circles on her exposed calf. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, feeling heat in more than just her face now.

He leaned forward a little more and took the empty glass out of her hand. He then took her hand, kissed it, and placed it on his groin. She heard him sigh as she tried to grip the erection under his clothes.

He inched closer, staying her hand with his, and whispered, "I want you to want me like this. And I want to know that you do."

He gave her forehead a gentle kiss and then retreated, groaning slightly when her hand lost contact.

Clearing his throat, he continued to look at her intently as he added, "And I won't know that until I know you, my dear."

Breathing more rapidly than sitting still called for, Hermione frowned in frustration for only a moment before lunging forward to capture Severus' lips.

He made a muffled noise of surprise, but quickly rearranged himself so that she was on top of him, cradled between his legs. Once they were more comfortably situated, he wrapped his arms around her and returned her kisses fervently.

Breaking away from his mouth, she panted into his ear, "The flaw in your logic is that our bodies say quite clearly what our minds might avoid."

He maneuvered to recapture her lips, feasting on them. Moments or eons later, he broke away and kissed his way to her jaw, then ear.

"The body lies, my dear. Or, if it doesn't lie, it misleads." He recaptured her lips and slowly raised himself, guiding her back up to a sitting position without letting go of her kiss. Once they were vertical, he broke from the kiss again and rested his head on her shoulder.

Hermione was very aware of how hard they both were breathing. Her own breaths were loud in her ears, almost as loud as her pulse, while the movement of Severus' chest against hers let her know he was just as breathless.

She was also very aware of how much she wanted him.

Bending her neck to whisper in his ear, she said, "Let's go to bed."

He groaned and tightened his grip on her for a moment before standing them up. He then took two steps back and looked at her almost tragically as he shook his head.

She frowned and opened her mouth to ask him why not, but before she could draw breath, he was at the door and was gone before she could speak.

She looked at the closed door for several minutes, hurt, confusion and lust all swirling within her. She knew he wanted her. Even if he hadn't said so with uncharacteristic forthrightness, she had felt his arousal. She couldn't feel his leaving as anything but a rejection, even though she knew there had to be a reason behind it. Somewhere.

She woke up the next morning feeling very groggy and headachey. It wasn't nearly as bad a hangover as the one she'd had after Harry had taken her out for a sympathy drink or five when she'd been released from the hospital wing in January, but it was still unpleasant.

She opened her eyes cautiously and found the room to be blissfully dark. She didn't remember pulling the drapes closed, but she was glad all the same. She gingerly moved herself upright and felt around for her wand. She was a bit surprised when her hand came in contact with a small bottle instead of slim wood.

Looking over, she squinted and grabbed the bottle, hoping the glowing red liquid was what she thought it was. Bringing it close, she saw spiky lettering on the label and found it was indeed Hangover Relief Potion. Popping the cork, she downed it in one go. Almost immediately, the headache and fog lifted, leaving her feeling almost fresh; she felt an overwhelming need for a shower, but otherwise was as good as new.

She picked up her wand and casually waved it to open the drapes. As light poured into the room, she looked at the bottle a little more closely. It was a particularly pretty vial, almost vase-like. She cast a quick Tergeo on it and then transfered the charmed rose Severus had given her with his first love letter into its new home. She smiled. It was a perfect size and shape for the wild rose, and even the color complemented the flower nicely.

Her mind drifted to Severus' exit the evening before and realized that, although a bit on the rude side, it hadn't been an outright rejection. It was actually rather noble of him to want to know her better before taking that step. She focused more acutely on the bottle-turned-vase and realized they were making extraordinary progress if he could recognize that he'd probably offended her by his manner and then set out to apologize, and she could recognize his apology for what it was.

She smiled as she headed off to the shower, feeling very hopeful and lighthearted.

She was mildly surprised that Teddy was at their table first, but quickly realized that she was much later than usual that morning. Alcohol had a Sleeping Draught-like effect on her.

"Good morning, Teddy!" she chirped as she sat down across from him. He looked up and smiled, and she noticed something like relief cross his face. It was gone before she could analyze it further, though.

"Good morning, Hermione. You seem to be in a very good mood."

She smiled happily and nodded as she dug out her books. "I am actually."

"I gather that Professor Snape didn't raise dire objections to our friendship?"

Hermione snorted. "The only thing he objected to was taking an offensive position on the rumors, and I can see that would be a bad idea. The way people's brains work, they'd probably have all three of us in bed before the end of the day."

Teddy blushed and looked down, clearing his throat. "Yes," he said, his voice a little deeper than usual, "I imagine they would."

Hermione stifled the urge to laugh, not wanting to embarrass Teddy any further. "But really, I'm in a good mood more because you're here, I'm here, the library is here, and there are still so many books left to read! What could be better on a beautiful Saturday morning?"

Teddy laughed, though he still looked a bit embarrassed. He sighed and, with a vague smirk, said, "What indeed?"

Hermione started giggling, and to avoid attracting Madam Pince's displeasure, she hastily turned her attention away from the smiling face before her, onto the much less amusing Defense Book.

Hermione and Teddy made their way through their course-load in unusually good spirits, bantering both on and off subject with an ease that usually comes only with time. Hermione herself was amazed at how well they were getting along, almost as if they were on the same wavelength for the entire study session.

It was getting on for dinner time when the mood was broken by a note suddenly appearing on the table.

Hermione jerked back, which startled Teddy, though when he saw the cause, he laughed, saying, "It's just a note!"

Hermione frowned, looking at the note suspiciously. "Yes, well, in my experience, having things appear out of nowhere when it isn't apparent who or what delivered it usually means something bad is in store."

Teddy looked at her with a mixture of amusement and pity. "Erm, you eat the food that appears in the Great Hall."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "But that's sent up by the house-elves."

Teddy looked at her with an expectant expression, then rolled his own eyes. "Hermione, dear, the house-elves do more than cook."

"Yes, I know they clean as well," Hermione said, crossing her arms in annoyance. The subject was still a sore spot.

Teddy snorted and shook his head. "For a brilliant witch, you sure do have your blind spots."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He picked up the letter, looked at it, and faced it toward her. "Don't you think it's possible that Professor Snape asked a house-elf to deliver this to you?"

Hermione looked at the letter. It definitely was Severus' handwriting. "But when Dobby or Kreacher deliver anything to Harry, they always appear."

"Dobby? Kreacher? Who are they?"

"Oh. Well, Kreacher is Harry's house-elf, and Dobby is... um, a friend of his, I suppose."

"Potter has a house-elf?" Teddy asked, sounding slightly surprised.

Hermione twisted her lip in disapproval, but nodded.

"Ah. Well, does the house-elf appear without Potter summoning them?"

Hermione suppressed her mild irritation at Teddy's phrasing and thought about it. "Well, Dobby does."

Teddy frowned in thought. "Dobby... Wasn't that the freak elf of Malfoy's who wanted clothes?"

Hermione's hackles went up, but she pinched her mouth shut to avoid saying anything she might regret. Instead, she nodded.

"From what I heard, he has a fascination with Potter, something similar to hero-worship or whatnot. Of course he'd want to be around Potter whenever he got the opportunity."

Hermione thought about it, and even through her ire, she realized that Teddy had a point. "Well, okay, but..."

Teddy handed the note over to Hermione with a kindly smile. "The sign of a good house-elf is to not even know they're there. It's supposed to be magic after all."

Hermione blushed. "Of course it is," she muttered as she accepted the note. Embarrassed, she avoided looking at Teddy as she sliced open the note.

My Dear,

P.S.: I hope your morning has been comfortable.

Hermione read the letter twice, a smile blooming as she read the postscript again. She folded the note neatly and carefully put it in her bag where it wouldn't get crushed. She was still smiling when she faced Teddy again, although her smile turned a bit quizzical at his bemused expression.

"You love him, don't you?" Teddy blurted out, then closed his eyes with a pained look.

Hermione furrowed her brows, even as her mouth quirked up. "Why does everyone think that?" she asked.

Even though it was mostly a rhetorical question, Teddy answered. "Because you light up around him. Reading that note..." He shrugged. "It's obvious to anyone who's looking for it," he muttered with a hint of malice.

She frowned, not understanding his reaction. She opened her mouth to say something, but he raised his hand and shook his head. "No, it's not my place to know. Forget I asked."

Her frown intensified at that. "Well, maybe it isn't your place to know, but you're my friend, aren't you?" Teddy looked at her warily, but nodded. She nodded in reaction. "That gives you the right to ask."

He raised his eyebrows, but still looked upset. He was obviously having some sort of internal battle, and she had no idea what it was about until he opened his lips and ground out, "Well? Do you?"

She leaned back in her chair, the happiness from the note having drained away. She looked at the table and mentally reviewed how she felt around Severus now that they were finding a more even footing. She reviewed how horrible he could be – and how wonderful. She liked him quite a bit, even though she didn't know him very well. And she was growing rather fond of him. And she wanted him and felt protected around him and... cherished. It was impossible not to love him at least a little.

An image of Ron smiling at her suddenly flashed into her mind, and her heart constricted, erasing the warm glow that had been building.

"It's... it's complicated."

Teddy released his breath in a snort-like manner. She wasn't sure whether it was an amused sound or not, and she couldn't tell by his face. He was wearing an indecipherable look very similar to Severus' mask. After a moment, though, he smiled wryly.

"Love is."

They were on the same wavelength for that moment as they shared a wry smile, but then Teddy looked down at his books, away from her.

"It's dinner time."

"Don't tell me Madam Pomfrey has been threatening you as well?" Hermione joked, wanting to do something to ease the tension that was filling Teddy's frame. He looked at her questioningly. She smiled and explained about Poppy's threats to the Headmaster, and who knew how many other people, regarding her eating habits.

Teddy's mask broke as he smiled at her, though she was surprised at the hint of sadness behind it. "No. Madam Pomfrey didn't need to threaten me." He offered her another indecipherable look before blinking and offering her a more legitimate smile. "But I would hate to be in Madam Pomfrey's bad graces, so that just means I'm even more determined to see you to dinner. Shall we?"

Hermione looked at him for a moment before nodding, trying to figure out what had changed between them, because something had. It was almost as if he had erected a wall, because she felt unaccountably shut out. It was almost the same way she'd felt shut out when Severus wouldn't talk to her the week before, but not quite.

After a little thought, she realized it was different because she had different expectations of each of them. She and Teddy were friends. She was rather ashamed to realize their friendship had, so far, been rather one sided. She knew next to nothing about him while he always seemed to be there to offer her an open ear and comforting touch when she needed it. She hadn't realized how much she had relied on his comfort, but being suddenly shut out brought it into focus. She hoped it could be worked through, just as she and Severus were working through their boundary issues.

It was interesting that although it was a similar feeling to what she and Severus were going through, it hurt more when Severus was reticent. She supposed that it was because she and Severus were in a committed relationship. They were bound to each other legally, and she knew that he had bound himself to her metaphorically as well. He was hers; he had given himself to her, just as she had given herself to him. Was giving herself to him.

He loved her. And because he loved her, she thought he would share. That's what loving couples did: they shared. It's how lives merged to become one life. How could you love someone and not let them become a part of you? That was what she had experienced with Ron, anyway, and she couldn't imagine another way of loving.

It still came down to trust, she realized. She and Ron had had six years to build trust between each other and six years to test the limits of that trust relatively safely. They had grown into one another from that process until they became part of one another – inseparable.

She winced, thinking about Ron not being in her life anymore. Never again. It didn't matter that Severus loved her and that she was very possibly falling in love with him... It didn't make losing Ron any easier. A part of her had died with Ron, and she would never get that back.

No longer hungry, she decided she would skip dinner. With the excuse that she wanted to take her books back to her room before eating, she said goodbye to Teddy. Although he looked a bit suspicious, he wished her a goodnight and made his way into the Great Hall alone.

Hermione made her way to her room quickly enough, but once there found it suffocating. Dropping her books on her desk, she grabbed her cloak and set out for a walk, slipping by the buzzing Great Hall without hesitation.

She was pretty sure the restrictions on being outside after dark had been lifted after the battle, although she wasn't in the mood to find someone to ask at the moment. In fact, she wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone. She made her way down to the lake, carefully avoiding any muddy patches. Once there, she wasn't quite sure what to do with herself, though she was sure she didn't want to return to the castle so soon. She was restless and nervy and raw; being inside chafed her soul.

As she stood looking out across the lake, something about the lonely, windswept scene reminded her of Severus and that he might worry. Concentrating, she conjured a note explaining where she was and her need to be alone. She then called out for Dobby, not sure it would work as she was outside of the castle itself, but the little elf appeared before her an instant later. She asked him to please deliver the note to Severus. Dobby wiggled his ears happily and popped out of existence with a low bow.

Breathing a deep sigh of relief, she looked out over the lake again, though she was still feeling restless. She looked around for a log or something to sit on, but finding nothing, she decided to walk along the shore as the wind whipped her hair around her face.

The sound of the wind in her ears and the lake lapping at the shore slowly took its calming effect on her, and soon she stopped walking. She stared out across the lake, her eyes riveted to the blurry reflection of the waxing moon.

It occurred to her that it had only been three weeks since she'd agreed to be Remus' wife. Three weeks since Severus rescued her. Three weeks since their first kiss. Nearly three weeks since their wedding, and two weeks since he'd asked if he could court her.

She laughed softly. She and Severus weren't exactly the ordinary, average couple, doing things the proscribed way. No, that was reserved for people who weren't involved with Severus. She paused at that thought, then added herself to the mix. She certainly couldn't claim to be an ordinary, average witch anymore.

She smiled at the moon's reflection with as much irony as happiness. She supposed it was a good thing that she wasn't ordinary or average. She doubted that she would be a match for Severus if she were. It was actually a bit of a relief to have discovered her potential now as it was that, more than anything, that had nullified their power imbalance and was allowing them to discover each other as equals.

She wondered if she would have unearthed the potential at all if Ron had survived.

Her smile faded a bit as she thought on that, but it didn't vanish completely. So much had happened in the last month, and not all of it was bad. Severus had rescued her, not just from Remus' curse, but from her depression. He had, inadvertently, given her the power to survive and thrive. And he loved her. He loved her possibly as much as Ron had. Possibly more.

That realization was simultaneously painful and comforting. She closed her eyes against the pain, but opened them almost immediately. She knew it wasn't fair that Ron had been taken from her so soon, but on the other hand, she couldn't deny that she was being given a better chance at happiness than most people were. Hell, it was virtually being forced on her.

She chuckled again. Who would have thought that Severus Snape, bastard extraordinaire, would be so good for her? Infuriatingly so.

She shook her head and turned to go back up to the castle. She felt bad that she had missed her evening walk with Severus, but was glad she'd been able to get a bit of time for herself. She hadn't had much of that the last couple of weeks.

She made her way back up to the castle as carefully as she'd made her way down, and it wasn't until she was nearing the front steps that she realized someone was watching her ascent. Severus was standing stiffly at the top of the steps in his dominating pose. Hermione approached cautiously, not sure which way his mood would turn. It was dark enough that any hints that might have been there were covered in deep shadow.

"Severus."

He nodded at her. When she got close enough, he extended his hand to help her up the last two stairs. She let out a quiet sigh of relief. He wasn't angry then. Or not terribly angry anyway. Once they were inside the castle, they both shrugged off their cloaks, and Severus extended his arm in his usual fashion. Hermione took it, grateful she would get her evening walk after all.

"You shouldn't be out of the castle after dark, Hermione."

Hermione shrugged. "I thought that rule had been lifted."

"It has, but that does not mean it is safe for you to be out alone."

Hermione looked up at him and saw the worry in his face. "That's why I sent you the note, to let you know where I was."

He nodded. "And it was much appreciated. But--"

"Severus," she said, putting her finger to his lips, stilling them, "please don't treat me as if I can't take care of myself."

He frowned and looked as if he was about to say something when a pair of students passed them, openly goggling the sight of the Head Girl silencing the Potions professor with a finger.

Hermione hastily withdrew her finger while Severus glared the children away. They looked at each other and silently agreed to continue their conversation in her quarters. They made their way there without another word, though their silence wasn't acrimonious.

Hermione was surprised when Severus opened the door and let himself in before she could take down her wards. When he turned around and found her staring at him, he did have the grace to look slightly abashed.

"My first thought was to wait for you here," he explained. At her raised eyebrow, he looked away and bit out, "I apologize for invading your room."

Her other brow rose to join the first, and she had to work on biting back a smirk. He was really learning.

"And I appreciate your looking out for me," she said placatingly. At that, his posture shifted into something that could be described as insecure, and she was suddenly overcome with the urge to hug him. Not seeing any reason not to, she took the few steps necessary and did so. His body stiffened under hers for a moment, but very quickly relaxed. Soon, he had his arms around her in a comforting embrace.

"That's my job," he rumbled above her as his hands started rubbing her back tentatively.

She leaned back to look at him critically, but found she didn't have the heart to say anything about his phrasing when she saw how utterly uncomfortable and out of his element he was. It reminded Hermione that Severus was not only human and fallible but also terribly, terribly fragile.

She returned her head to his chest and gave him a squeeze, rocking him slightly. His hand moved to her hair, and he ran his fingers through it gently and carefully, avoiding getting caught in her tangles. She hummed in satisfaction and pleasure.

She felt him tense and inhale a couple of times, as if he was preparing to say something, but no other words came out as they stood there in their embrace.

Finally, Hermione's feet started protesting, and she regretfully parted from Severus, moving over to the sofa. He followed and, in a move that surprised her, laid down so his head was on her lap. He smirked up at her, although she could see another hint of insecurity lurking in his eyes. She smiled down and ran her hands through his hair.

It wasn't the first time she'd noticed how oily his hair was, but she was surprised at the texture. It was fine and soft, if limp and prone to showing her ministrations. Just like the rest of him, however, it wasn't nearly as horrid as it seemed at first.

There were so many things she wanted to say, but at the same time, she didn't know how to say them. She didn't want to ruin the moment by fumbling over words, seeing as the likely result of that would be his inferring things she didn't mean and storming off in a huff. She figured that it would be better to leave everything unsaid until she found the right way to say it.

So she just ran her fingers through his hair, gently massaging his head and face while she tried to put her thoughts into some semblance of order... How she wasn't his student, nor was she a child anymore. How she was still so heart-sore, and yet so grateful for his love. How much she liked spending time with him. How fond she was of him.

That last one was the scariest topic, though, and she shied away from it speedily. It led to that four letter word that was far more powerful than any oaths. It led her to images of Ron. Of her parents. Of Harry and Ginny and the Weasleys.

She knew she would have to face it at some point, but she wasn't ready yet. The thought of giving Severus Snape her heart to keep was still a little too scary a thought, even if the process was irrevocably underway.

Hermione woke a couple of hours later when Severus woke up. He'd fallen asleep on her lap while she was stroking his hair, and he'd looked so peaceful and relaxed that she'd been loath to move. So, she had summoned a book and read until her eyes had drifted shut.

When Severus sat up, she'd been disoriented for a moment, but then she caught sight of his mussed hair and saw the hands on the clock had moved, and she put the pieces together.

She smiled up at him, and he gave her a small, fond smile back, though it was taken over by a massive yawn. When he stumbled just slightly as he stood up, she reached out and grabbed his hand.

When he looked down at her, she smiled up at him. "Why don't you stay here tonight?" He immediately stiffened, so she added quickly, "To sleep, Severus. That's all."

He hesitated, and sensing indecision, she said, "Please?"

He gave her a rather piercing look, but at the end of it, his face relaxed, and he nodded. Her smile grew, and she happily led him into her bedroom where she collapsed on top of the covers, not bothering to undress.

He snorted as he climbed onto the bed beside her, nudging her over onto her side so he could spoon her. "May I summon a blanket, or would being under the covers be too great a threat to decency?" he asked snidely.

She snorted in response, but was too tired to get upset at his hypocrisy. "By all means, Severus. Make yourself comfortable," she responded through a yawn.

She was only barely conscious when he pulled the blanket over them, and she thought it a dream when he stroked the hair back from her face so he could gently kiss her goodnight.

Even mostly asleep, she smiled and snuggled into his warm, lithe frame as he draped his arm around her. It was after only a few seconds of cuddling that she fell asleep, comfortable through and through.