Choices: Chapters 62 to 69

Summary: He was a fool to hold Hermione to her original promise. It was time to rectify that mistake. But it seemed fate, and Hermione had other plans. Can Severus learn to live with the choices he’s made, even at the cost of his own happiness?

A/N: The story is written in drabble form, one hundred words per chapter. The brevity of the chapters forces the emotions to stand out sharply against the action. The first forty chapters were posted in the drabble collections – Round Nine through Fourteen. Since so many have asked me to post these as their own story, I’ve decided to compile them here.

Disclaimer: The characters, settings, etc., of the Harry Potter series are not mine; they belong to J.K. Rowling and Co. I promise to return them when I am through. Well, most of them anyway.

The Choices We Make

Chapter 62: Dating Your Wife Is Never Easy

They stood nervously regarding each other outside Hermione’s front door.

“Do you want to come in for coffee or…”

“No, I’ll let you get your rest.” If he stayed, he couldn’t be sure he could maintain his calm, irrational emotions and questions were fighting for control in his mind.

“I am a bit tired, but you’ll think about names, won’t you?”

Severus nodded. “How will you be getting to Hogwarts on Monday?”

“The same as always, walking up the path from here to the school. Why?”

“You shouldn’t have to exert yourself. I’ll speak to Albus about connecting your Floo.”

Chapter 63: A Startling Confession

Hermione nodded, she knew Severus was trying to keep his end of the bargain. Truth be told, his new contentious nature was a bit unnerving to the witch. The sudden change in her husband, though welcome, did make her doubt his sincerity.

Severus watched the range of emotions playing across his wife’s face. Even without Legilimency, he could read the doubt in her eyes. “You have no idea how much I want you back. Hurting you is probably the worst thing I’ve ever done.” His eyes gleamed in their intensity. “Without exception.”

Hermione frowned. “Worse than taking the Dark Mark?”

Chapter 64: A Running Tally of Mistakes I Have Made

“Joining the Dark Lord was an act of idiocy I may never overcome, but hurting you was unforgivable. The only excuse I can offer, feeble as it may be, is that I was only thinking of you. I’ve told you before, I never should’ve allowed you to marry me. I could’ve released you from your promise. But I was too weak, too selfish, to let you go; instead I married you, not caring if my love poisoned you. I was trying to make it up to you when I sent you away by giving you a chance to start over.”

Chapter 65: Skepticism Runs Rampant

“None of that really matters, anymore. I never really wanted you to go, and now with the baby on the way…I know it’ll take time for you to believe me, to accept that I really want this to work.” He laughed softly. “If it were me, I don’t know that I would believe me, either, so perhaps I can understand your skepticism. Let’s just let things be for now.”

Severus leaned forward and gently kissed his wife goodnight. “I’ll speak to Albus in the morning and have your Floo connected to my office. Get some sleep. I’ll see you Monday.”

Chapter 66: Of Potions and Tactics

“You’re wrong, you know. You didn’t coerce me into marrying you. I wanted to. I went into this marriage with my eyes wide open.”

Severus shook his head. “You only think you did.”

“Are you telling me you slipped me a love potion?” Harry and Ron would have a field day with that bit of information. They were convinced from the start that Severus had somehow bewitched their friend.

Severus looked aghast. “You wound me, my dear, to think I would’ve tried anything so trite as a love potion. Slytherin tactics are much more effective, and so much more subtle.”

Chapter 67: Slytherin Sex God

“Ah, the whole Slytherin Sex God thing.” Though secretly, Hermione had to admit, while her husband may not have been vocal in his own responses, he was an expert at extracting a wide range of sounds from her when he chose to focus on her pleasure.

It was something she had missed over the last two months: the touch of his hands when he pleasured her, the feel of his body when they made love, his warm presence as she lay back against him, and the comforting weight of his arm on her hip before dropping peacefully off to sleep.

Chapter 68: Unfulfilled Desires

Severus smiled; there was that response again. It’s what kept him going. Strengthening his resolve, he leaned forward and gently brushed his lips against Hermione’s earlobe. “I will contact you tomorrow, after I speak with Albus. I’ll wait while you let yourself in. I can’t leave until I know you’re safe,” he whispered silkily in her ear.

Hermione’s eyes slipped shut, her breathing ragged. His warm breathe in her ear, the heat of his body, was making her blood boil. Silently, she cursed the pregnancy hormones coursing through her blood, before adding a curse aimed at her husband as well.

Chapter 69: A Chance Worth Taking

“Do you know what you’re doing to me?”

“Yes, I’m making the most of my last chance.” Pulling her into his arms, he kissed the witch goodnight again. Releasing her from his embrace, he turned her toward the door. “Go in before I lose my resolve and follow you.”

Nodding, she lowered the wards and let herself in. Hermione turned before closing the door. “Goodnight, Severus, and thank you, I enjoyed myself tonight.”

“Goodnight, Hermione.” Feeling the wards fall back in place, Severus Apparated back to the main gates of Hogwarts. Lost in thought, he walked up the front path.

TBC