XXXV: After Midnight

Chapter XXXV: After Midnight

As the strains of "Auld Lang Syne" echoed from the revellers outside, Snape kept staring out of the window long after the girls had returned to the pub and vanished from his sight. Yet in front of his inner eye, the image lingered: a shy kiss, a loving embrace, caresses and kisses that grew ever bolder.

He tilted his head, and a faint smile lit up his otherwise so stern features. He should have known. He should have known that his girls didn't need any help to find their way to each other. Once they had been rid of their demons, their eyes had opened, and they had seen what he should have seen a long time ago: they belonged with each other. They always had, probably since the first time they laid eyes on each other on the Hogwarts Express. And to think he had actually tried to come between them. What a fool he had been.

Shaking his head at himself, Snape detached himself from the window. He was planning to go downstairs and reclaim his spot at the bar. If he was lucky, the girls had gone back inside to share another dance. He would enjoy watching them whilst sipping on another glass of Ogden's. And maybe, just maybe, they would have a smile to spare for their former Potions master.

He was just about to leave the room when he heard footsteps on the stairs. Footsteps, rustling robes and a giggle that was far too familiar to be ignored. He'd heard it before, exactly a year ago. That time, it had come from the very room he was standing in now. That time, he had lost his temper, deducted fifty points from his own House and given Charis a good telling-off, which had revealed more of his own jealousy than he had meant to. And the same display of jealousy had driven Morgana into the arms of Lucius Malfoy, who had shattered her heart into thousands of pieces only a short time after.

Snape sighed. Things could have been very different. If only he had kept his prominent nose out of their business, maybe the girls would have discovered their feelings for each other much earlier. Charis wouldn't have fallen for him, nor Morgana for Lucius. They wouldn't have been hurt, their hearts not broken. Oh, the heartache he could have saved them from.

'Morgana, what if we are caught?'

There was nervous excitement in Charis' hushed voice which startled Snape out of his reverie. What on earth were the two of them doing up here?

'We won't be caught. No one's coming up here tonight. I've made sure of that.'

Morgana's murmur was soothing, but as the door knob turned, Snape realised with alarm that he was trapped!

Before the door had even opened, Snape sank deep into the shadows, inwardly cursing himself for wasting time and being caught in a compromising position. The alcohol must have clouded his mind, for it was surely too late to Apparate now.

He flinched as a candle on the nightstand sprung to life, but relaxed as he realised that the tiny flame would not illuminate the room enough for the girls to see him. He, however, could see just enough of them to make him gasp.

They looked breathtaking, both of them, Charis with her glittering green eyes and Morgana with her flaming red locks. Yet for once, those combined features didn't remind Snape of Lily. In fact, his childhood friend, the only woman he had ever loved, was further from his mind than ever. And so were Dumbledore, the Dark Lord, Harry Potter... This night was all about his girls, the two young witches who were slowly approaching the bed, Charis walking backwards and Morgana guiding her with a firm grip around her waist. They held their own magic, those two, a magic which made Snape forget everything else which he otherwise deemed central in his life.

'Did you know my Amortensia smells of roses?' Morgana asked as she traced the line of Charis' neck with her nose, inhaling the delicate scent that Charis bore so well.

'You never told me,' Charis whispered in reply.

'Until quite recently, I didn't know what it meant.'

Gently yet purposefully, Morgana pushed Charis backwards, and the blonde witch gasped as she fell onto the bed. But Morgana didn't give her any time to utter her surprise further. She had already straddled her friend and was now kissing her passionately, expertly exploring her mouth with her tongue, all the while pinning down Charis with her own weight.

Charis moaned and thrust her hips upwards. Morgana's kiss had set her on fire, and now her whole body was tingling. She was aching to be touched, aching to feel Morgana's hands and lips on her body. But the Slytherin seemed to be in no rush whatsoever.

'I should have understood a long time ago. Your scent has always been so comforting,' Morgana whispered into Charis' ear, making her friend shiver before she planted a string on small kisses all the way from her earlobe to her collarbone. And Charis lay breathless, unable to form a coherent sentence, wishing that her friend was not going to cease her caresses.

But Morgana had no intention of stopping. She nibbled gently at Charis' collarbone, every now and then flicking out her tongue to taste the soft flesh of Charis' neck, enjoying seeing the soft blush that was creeping up from her chest. Yet every time Charis tried to move beneath her, every time she as much as tried to lift her hands to return some of her caresses, Morgana shifted her weight, either moving out of Charis' immediate reach or pinning her down even harder. Charis deserved to be treated as a queen. She deserved to be caressed and indulged. She deserved to shudder from pleasure. She herself shouldn't have to do anything.

Slowly, Morgana undid the lace at the front of Charis' blue dress, placing a tender kiss on every inch of skin she uncovered. She gifted both breasts with an equal amount of attention, alternating kissing and gently biting them both, yet still carefully avoiding the hard nipples that were so clearly visible through the sheer fabric of Charis' bra. She would give them her undivided attention later. For now, all she wanted was to get Charis out of her dress.

Snape stood in the shadows as if he'd been Petrified, trying to control his breathing as his heartbeat accelerated at the sight before him. Charis' pale skin bathing in the candlelight as Morgana teased her tender breasts was possibly the most sensual thing he'd ever seen. But as he felt the first stirrings of his own arousal pushing urgently at the buttons of his robes, he knew that what he was witnessing was beyond the realms of his own personal fantasies. Morgana was unmistakably making love to Charis, and it was as beautiful to behold as it was intensely erotic.

Charis had now shifted so her hips were raised, and Morgana carefully pushed the blue satin down her body, laying a trail of kisses down her torso and stomach as she did so. When she paused, flicking her tongue inside the soft dimple of Charis' navel, causing her to giggle, a delighted smile passed briefly over her features before she continued her ministrations ever southward. Slowly and carefully, as if she was unwrapping some priceless gift, she slid the satin over Charis' hips and to her thighs, hovering over her lace-covered core mere millimetres away, feeling the searing heat begging to be unleashed. Soon, but not yet, Morgana decided, slipping the gown yet further and kissing and nibbling Charis' thighs and legs all the way to her toes until the dress lay crumpled and discarded at the end of the bed.

Snape looked on, almost unable to breathe. Charis was now spread out, clad in only sumptuous lace underwear. Morgana gazed deeply into her eyes as she began her journey back up Charis' body, this time using only her fingertips to swirl patterns over her soft skin, making Charis tingle and shudder with pleasure.

Soon, Morgana had once more covered her friend's body with her own, and they were eye to eye, Morgana dotting the gentlest of kisses over Charis' face before claiming her lips. It was yet another deep, passionate kiss, and Charis' hips bucked involuntarily, her body craving more of Morgana's skilful ministrations. But Morgana shook her head, almost imperceptibly. Soon, but not yet.

Moving her mouth once more to the succulent flesh of Charis' neck, she began to gently nibble as one hand peeled the strap of the blue bra down over Charis' shoulder. The Ravenclaw was trembling by now, her little moans encouraging her friend and, unbeknown to them both, driving their former Potions master half-wild with desire. Yet he stood perfectly still in the shadows, not moving even an inch. He laying hands on himself now seemed wrong, filthy and obscene. And he feared it would destroy the special kind of magic that was hanging in the air.

Agonisingly slowly, Morgana slipped her nimble fingers inside the loosened cup of Charis' lacy bra, drawing from her a gasp as her soft, dexterous fingertips met the awakened nerve ends of her nipples. She brushed them gently before shifting her hands so they came to cup Charis' heavy breasts. When and how she had Vanished the bra, Charis couldn't tell. She didn't care either. She was too preoccupied by watching her friend massage her breasts with the most expert touch. And as Morgana gazed at the star pendant that hung at her friend's throat, twinkling slightly in the dim candlelight, another gentle smile pulled at her lips.

'Mo... Morgana, please, I... oh!'

Charis' whispered words turned into a shaky whimper as Morgana's lips closed around her right nipple, and as she suckled it, deftly and purposefully, alternately teasing it with her tongue and her teeth, Charis felt waves of pleasure rippling through her body, converging at her very core and making her wriggle under her friend's weight. How she wished Morgana would touch her down there. How she longed to feel her friend's lips at her core, her hands, her fingers. But she did not dare utter her wishes. Morgana seemed to know what she was doing. She was the one in charge, and Charis trusted her without reservation.

Yet Morgana, too, was longing to take things to the next level, and as she kissed her way across Charis' chest in order to reach her left breast, she felt her lips shaking with excitement and shifted her weight, rubbing her thighs together as to give some relief to the fire that was burning between her own legs. She felt the blood pulsate in her core, knew that she was wet with desire and also yearned to be touched. But at this point, she was not yet ready to give up control.

Straddling Charis' left thigh, she continued her ministrations of her breasts, kissing, suckling, licking, and while Charis' eyes fluttered shut and small moans escaped her lips, Morgana let her left hand trail down Charis' side, over her hip and thigh, eventually taking a firm hold of her butt. Then she let her lips wander down over her stomach, grinding herself against Charis' leg as she moved further south.

As she placed small kisses along the waistband of Charis' knickers, the fingers of her right hand found their way under the soft lace, meeting even softer skin and a scorching heat that made Morgana forget her plans of peeling off Charis' knickers at the same slow speed she had peeled off her bra. Neither was she any longer interested in kissing the inside of Charis' thighs, teasing her until she begged to be tasted. She needed this now as much as Charis needed it, and with a forceful pull, Morgana tore down the blue knickers and closed her lips around Charis' clitoris without warning, making her lover climax with an outcry that surely could be heard all the way down to the pub below. But neither of the girls cared, and while Charis was thrashing her head around, shaking with the most intense orgasm she had ever experienced, Morgana kept her hips firmly pinned to the bed and her lips still closed around the pulsating nub, suckling it softly as she eased her friend down from her peak. Her own breathing was laboured, and finally, she allowed her free hand to trail down her own body, under the hem of her dress and in between her thighs. As she had anticipated, she was scorching hot, and as she touched herself though her damp knickers, the sensation was almost too much to bear. And so she moved her fingers under the fabric, teasing herself while she lapped up Charis' juices, already inflaming her once again.

Snape stood with his mouth open. He couldn't see Charis' core from where he was standing, but the movements of Morgana's head between Charis' thighs left little to the imagination. And the way Morgana's nimble fingers worked at her own core made him want to sink onto his knees behind her, rip the fabric away and lap her the way she was lapping Charis, bringing her to an orgasm at the same time she made Charis peak, just to pin her down on her friend moments later, thrusting his cock alternately into them. Yet he made no move, none whatsoever, but stood silently, watching intently. He was no part of what was going on between the girls, and as much as his body was aching for release, he knew it was not right to intrude on this most precious of moments.

Morgana could sense that Charis was yet again close to her peak as she probed her entrance with the tip of her tongue. She could both taste it and feel it in the way Charis' body tensed and her fingers clawed at the bedsheets. And she herself was closing in on her orgasm, too, knowing exactly how and where to touch herself to make her body shudder with pleasure. She could make herself come undone right now. All it would take was one more expert flick of a finger against her throbbing nub. But she waited, caressing the soft skin on the inside of her thigh instead. She wanted to wait for Charis, share the moment with her and then curl up against her, holding her as they both came down from their peak.

Snape stiffened as he saw Morgana cease her ministrations. No, this couldn't be. It mustn't. Morgana was supposed to be able to enjoy this. Had she not achieved a sexual as well as an emotional breakthrough when she had come undone in his arms a week ago? Had it all been for nothing? Had he misread her when they had parted? But then he heard Charis' soft moans turn into a mewing, desperate whimper, saw her body convulsing with pleasure, and with a sigh of relief, he saw Morgana's nimble fingers once more working under her dress.

The sensation was breathtaking. Morgana felt her knees go weak as her orgasm took hold of her entire body, making her toes curl and her back arch. She didn't moan or scream, but sank silently onto the bed between Charis' legs, letting her head rest on the inside of her lover's thigh as she recovered from her dual ministrations. Her hot breath tickled Charis' flushed skin, and she let her eyes flutter shut, deeply inhaling Charis' scent and enjoying her warmth against her cheek. Her limbs grew heavier, and she couldn't remember if she had ever felt so relaxed. If she didn't move soon, she would fall asleep. But then she felt Charis' hand on her hair, and as Charis touched her shoulder, Morgana let herself willingly be pulled up, coming to rest in her lover's arms.

She looked beautiful, Charis thought, letting her green eyes trail over Morgana's face. The angry line that far too often appeared between her eyebrows was gone, and the dim candle light was just enough for Charis to make out the soft blush on Morgana's otherwise so pale cheeks. She looked relaxed, at peace. And when Charis hugged her closer and murmured, 'I love you,' the expression on Morgana's face could only be described as complete and utter bliss.

A few minutes later, the girls were both fast asleep, and in the shadows, Snape swallowed drily, once more unable to take his eyes of them, yet for different reasons now. There was a warmth blossoming inside his chest which he was unable to put into words. His girls had found each other at last. And nothing, not even the Dark Lord himself, could surely tear their love apart. They belonged to each other; they were two sides of the same coin, two parts of a whole. But as he watched them sleep now, curled up against each other under the sheet which Charis had pulled over them, Snape suddenly felt like he had no right to be there anymore. He'd witnessed something beautiful tonight, but as the post-orgasmic glow settled around the two witches, his mere presence started to feel like an abomination. He needed to leave and let the girls bask in their new-found love. A love he had no part of, a love he would never be able to share with anyone.

Noiselessly, he drew his wand and cast a well-practised Silencing Charm before moving through the shadows with the grace of a black panther. He would be gone in less than a minute, and the girls would never know that he had been there.

At the door, however, he paused and once more looked back towards the bed. He loved those two girls dearly in his own special way. They would never know, of course, but he hoped that every now and then, they would remember him with fondness.