Part Two

Disclaimer: It all belongs to JKR.

A/N: There is mild language and sexual content in this last portion.

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She walked quietly, peering into their dark chamber. She saw his silhouette, illuminated in the silver moonlight. He was sitting on the bed, hunched over, with his head in his hands.

“Oh, darling,” she said softly and walked across the room, her dressing gown flaring out with her steps.

She paused and dropped to her knees in front of him, taking his hands in hers. He looked her straight in the eye.

“Why did you do that?”

She breathed in deeply. “I’ve never refused your bed before.”

“You did last night. Circe’s sake, Hermione,” he muttered, running his hands through his hair. “You shoved me off of you and looked at me like…”

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“Like what?” She looked up at him, her eyes filled with pain.

“Like you wanted nothing to do with me,” he said softly.

“Severus, it had been a long day. We’d been fighting, Amelia was cranky…” She trailed off, gesticulating helplessly. “I had no right to treat you that way.”

“You shoved me off of you, screaming at me like I was some goddamn rapist.” He shook his head. “We trust each other. I thought we did.”

“Severus, I do trust you. We’d just… you know my work at the Ministry is unpleasant; it brings up all sorts of memories and things that I’ve long thought forgotten.”

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Severus paused, as if caught unawares on how to answer.

“Of course,” he said finally. “I didn’t know the war still bothered you.”

“I’d be silly to complain with you living under the same roof,” she said wryly. “You are the best thing that ever happened to me, Severus. I love you. I love you, you insufferable man. Amelia and Lucas are my treasures, but you…” She shook her head, chuckling. “You are my love.”

He looked at her. “Why did you…”

“You caught me off guard. We’d been fighting, and then all of a sudden we weren’t…”

“You typically enjoy such encounters.” He smiled wryly.

“Not when I’ve had an awful day at work and a colicky child to come home to,” she said.

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“So the lesson is…”

“You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar,” Hermione offered.

“Hmm,” he murmured, kissing her neck. “Or Hermione will only shag if honey is involved…”

“You insufferable…”

He silenced her protest with a sound kiss.

She moaned softly and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her body closer to his.

He leaned back on to the bed, drawing her up with him, deftly rolling so that she was beneath him. Running his hands down her torso, he muttered something under his breath.

Five seconds later her wrists were tied to the bed posts and Severus had a bottle of honey in his hands.

“Now,” he murmured, smiling wickedly. “We’ll see just how many ‘flies’ we can… catch.”

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