Chapter 14
The ground grows softer and the air grows warmer as April approaches. You spend time in the green house in the backyard of your home, preparing to plant flowers and pick up the mess winter left behind in your yard. Your MP3 player rests in your back pocket with the cord of your headphones running up your body, to your ears. The Smith’s are playing from your library, which is making you feel sad. They’re a depressing band.
You sweep the floors of dust and debris into a waste pan, humming to yourself. You had some free time after your shift and you didn’t want to spend it moping about. You feel a bit better - still sad but not so severely. Your medication is working. You met with Doctor Reed yesterday. She was happy to hear you worked things out with Severus - but not impressed you haven’t returned to poetry. You haven’t any motivation. It’s not just sitting down and writing a paper. You have to feel inspired.
A more upbeat song plays next which makes your head move back and forth to the beat. You empty the waste pan into the trash and begin to wipe down the tables that line the green house. Are they selling flowers yet? Seeds? Your grandad would know. Maybe you’ll go into town to see if they are.
As you finish up in the backyard, you check your watch and see it’s the late afternoon now. Severus should be done with work. You’ll call him, he’s been calling you this week - he’d like it if you'd call first. You wander in through the back door, then take your boots and gardening gloves off, glancing around at the empty back room. Your grandad’s jacket hangs on a hook on the wall, pockets filled with his own gardening gloves. When will you be ready to pack it all away? To pack him all away? You sigh at the thought of it, then begin to walk, the floors creak as you stride into the kitchen, where you wash your hands in the sink.
You locate your phone on the entryway and dial Severus, then walk into the living room and plop down on the sofa. Another empty part of the house. You don’t sit on the couch where your grandad always did. You. Am call yourself crazy, but it is his special spot, in his special living room, in his special house he left you. The phone call rings only twice before Severus picks up.
“Good afternoon, pretty girl,” he greets in his deep baritone voice.
You grin, bringing your knees up to your chest. “Hi,” you murmur, feeling jittery. “What are you doing?”
“Oh, I just returned to my office. I had to sit in for bloody Hagrid whilst he went for a check up.”
You look up, thinking. “The grounds keeper?”
“Correct. What are you up to? Working?”
“No, I left at one. Cole is going to close today. I love having an employee,” you muse.
“You could hire a new one. Preferably a woman,” he retorts, snarkily.
You laugh out loud - it makes Snape chuckle lowly. “I could probably tell Cole to dress up as a woman and he’d actually do it. Would you like that?” you ask, smirking.
“Hmm. Maybe,” he replies, thinking. “What have you done with your day?”
“Oh, I went to see my nan, then I was working in the backyard. Just cleaning the greenhouse. My grandad planted lots of flowers each year around the house, I think I will be doing the same. I miss him a lot today, I keep looking around the house, expecting him to be here.”
Snape sighs, sounding distant to speak. Perhaps he doesn’t know what to say. “That’s good to hear about the flowers, I’m sure they will be beautiful if you’re the one planting them. How was your appointment with the therapist? That was just yesterday?”
“Yeah. It was okay. It feels nice talking to someone who can’t really judge you because they don’t know you. If they do, who cares, you’re strangers,” you think out loud.
“That is a decent point. You’re keeping yourself together. You seem a bit happier. I can tell by the sound of your voice,” he points out.
You smile to yourself. “Thanks, Severus.”
“The spring holiday starts tomorrow. How would you like to come see me here? Stay the night again. I’ll give you a tour of the castle.”
You lean up, nearly squealing with excitement. “Yes! Let me call Cole. See if he can cover Saturday,” you say. You frown then shake your head. “He’s never opened alone before, though.”
“Just see if he is up to it. This can be his final challenge to see if he is worthy to be employed by you.”
You roll your eyes now. “Alright. Call me tonight if you get bored,” you welcome.
“I’m already planning on it, darling,” he says, sensually. You blush and tell him bye, then hang up your mobile. You then dial the number to the bakery.
“Three Bridges Bakery, how may I help you?” Cole greets.
Your brows pop up, surprised at his promptness and politeness. “Well done, Cole. It’s [first name]. Are you doing okay?” you inquire.
Cole sighs. “Yes, everything is perfectly fine.”
“Good. Can you open the bakery by yourself on Saturday morning? Or too soon?”
He hesitates a moment. “I think I can. I’m sure it will be fine.”
You smile. “Perfect! Thanks so much,” you reply.
“Anytime, boss. Anything else?” he asks.
“Nope. Baking lesson Sunday after we close?”
“Got it. See ya tomorrow.”
“See you,” you reply.
You hang up and toss your phone on the couch, then stand and stretch. You decide to make a snack and then shower. After, you cozy up on the couch with a bottle of wine and turn the telly on. You wonder what the castle will be like tomorrow, but recall the portrait and what it said. Do they really see everything?
You drift off into a nap for an hour or so after watching a movie - your mobile ringing wakes you up. You pick it up and bring it to your ear.
“Hello?” you ask, noticing it is dark outside now.
“Hello,” Severus murmurs, lowly. You roll on your back, smiling up at the ceiling.
“Hi. How was your evening?” you ask. Severus exhales and you hear his bed creak as he sits down on it.
“It was fine. Had dinner and just showered. I wish you were going to sleep with me in my bed tonight.”
You bite your lower lip, then say, “well, I could if you’d like. I have the portkey.”
Severus doesn’t reply for a moment. “I feel indulged lately, we’ve spent a lot of time together.”
You shrug. “Is that a bad thing? To indulge? Or are you scared you’ll get tired of me?”
Severus clicks his tongue and gives you the silent treatment for such a stupid suggestion. “You’ll grow tired of me, perhaps,” he says after a few moments.
You sigh, annoyed. “Severus, why do you think so badly of yourself?” you inquire, in a serious but gentle voice. He doesn’t reply. He shifts in his bed, making an uncomfortable groan. “You’re my favorite person. I will tell you if I ever stop liking you.”
An exhale of relief from your phone - he still remains silent. “I made some chocolate croissants for my nan today. I have some left. Let me get on my pajamas and we can have a bedtime snack. I’ll sleep with you at the castle, but I do need to wake up early to go open the bakery.”
“Okay. Thank you,” he replies, monotone. You hang up and stand, heading into the kitchen. You grab a Tupperware container and pack the croissants up, then retrieve the small jug of milk you have in the refrigerator. You put everything into a lunch box and go to sit it by the fireplace, where the candlestick is. Then, you jog up the stairs and take your clothes off. After a rinse off in the shower, you find a skimpy pajama set and slip on your silk robe and cozy slippers. You glance in the mirror - your face is natural, no makeup, but you find yourself content with how you look. Severus calls you beautiful all of the time anyway, even when you have unkempt hair and bags under your eyes.
You return to the main level of your home and grab the lunch box, then slowly reach for the candlestick. Oh, god, how you hate this. You shut your eyes and grab it firmly, getting spinned and sucked out of your house. You feel like you rip into Severus’ office, everything lands as you do, and your feet hit the ground unsteadily. Like last time, though, he is there, placing his strong hands around your waist to help you stand.
“Oof! Thank you, sir.” He’s in his normal white dress shirt, but it is unbuttoned and his trousers are…not on. He’s in simple black boxers and your eyes linger on his crotch, well on the outline of his-
“Don’t worry about the portraits this time,” he greets, gesturing around. You look at the walls, seeing all of the pictures up, but facing the wall instead of outward. You laugh, nodding. “Bloody bastards.”
You walk ahead of him to his desk, beginning to unpack the lunchbox. Severus stands behind you, surveying the contents you’re sitting on the desk. You grab at his shirt, tugging him towards his chair - he silently obeys you and sits down. His doesn’t wait around to get his hands on you. His hand slides up your bare thigh and under your silk shorts, caressing the cusp of your arse.
“Mm, wonderful choice of sleepwear. I haven’t seen these yet,” he compliments. You grin, shaking your head. “I don’t think I will ever grow tired of touching your lovely body,” he murmurs, then squeezes your skin firmly. You stand on your toes, gasping, and Severus chuckles lowly. You slap his hand down and slide a croissant placed on a napkin in front of him. You take the lid off the jug of milk, then take a step to go sit down in one of the chairs across from him. His fingers slip inside the waistband of your shorts and he pulls you to him instead. He spreads his legs, staring up at you with a look of near hunger. You sit down on his thigh - his arm wraps around you - then hold the croissant to his mouth.
“It looks delicious,” he murmurs, then takes a bite. You do the same. “It is delicious.”
You nod, smirking. “Of course it is, I made it.”
Severus arches a brow, sitting it down so he can place a hand on your thigh. He caresses your bareskin with his rough yet somehow soft hand, humming. “Made it with love, as you put it.”
You nod, laughing with your hand over your mouth. Severus looks down, hair covering his face, probably smiling. He does that a lot, hides his smile. Like he shouldn’t do it. You both finish your treat and take a drink of the milk. You rest your head on Severus’ shoulder, inhaling the thick scents of him - paper, ink, herbs, vanilla, teakwood.
“Let’s go cuddle,” you say, sticking out your lower lip. Severus makes a noise of stupidity in his throat, but takes his arms off of you so you can stand. “What? Severus Snape doesn’t cuddle?”
Severus places a hand on the small of your back, urging you back towards his chambers. “If you’d like to call it that, fine.”
You walk on, feeling him disappear from right behind you. Glancing over your shoulder, you see him with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall of the hallway. You furrow your brows. “What?”
He motions with one hand to keep walking. “I’m enjoying this view, go on.”
Your face burns and you continue to walk, more slowly now, swaying your hips. You hear him groan as you enter his room. The bed is made almost too perfectly, as it has been the few times you’ve seen it. You grin, thinking about how fun it would be to jump on the bed. You place your foot on it, then boost yourself up, turning around to see Severus coming to a halt in front of you.
“What are you doing?”
You begin to jump, smiling, and the bed is unusually bouncy. You’re getting some major air, several feet high for some odd reason.
“Stop that!” Severus commands, reaching for your arm. You laugh, jumping away from him.
“Come on, it’s fun. Look how high I can get!” you exclaim, giggling.
Severus reveals his wand and aims at the bed, and suddenly, your jumping is diminished, shaved down to just a foot off the bed instead of the several feet you were getting. You frown, then drop to your knees, looking up at him with faux sadness.
“Bloody bed was enchanted,” he murmurs, then sees your disappointed look. “I didn’t want you to fall.” He sits his wand on the nightstand, then climbs into bed and lays down, huffing out a breath.
“You’re lame,” you tease, plopping down next to him. He doesn’t open his eyes, but raises his brows.
“Fine, keep jumping, don’t cry to me when you break an arm.”
You slap his shoulder, laughing, pulling the blankets over you and laying on your side. Severus is quick to get comfortable, wrapping an arm around you from behind, hand resting over your chest, tugging you close to him. He’s so warm. His breath washes over your head and neck, causing goosebumps. You wiggle around, pressing your arse against his waist. His knee comes up to your thighs and pushes you away.
“Go to sleep,” he commands. “Not tonight.” You gape, gasping.
“Not tonight? You really are lame today.” His hand that rests on his chest comes up to your throat, fingers wrapping around the column of it. You gasp, tensing.
“I didn’t sleep last night. You need to sleep to get up early. Of course I’d rather be fucking you senseless. For Merlin’s sake, think. Out of the two of us, I am the most rational one.”
You groan lowly, pulling the blankets over your shoulders and nestling your head into the pillows. You shut your eyes and bring a hand up to rest it on his, that is back on top of your chest. He leans into your head, kissing it. “Sweet dreams,” he whispers.
Tonight, the flashbacks and clear as day visions Severus sees when he sleeps are not dreams, nor are they sweet. He’s tossing and turning in the dead of night, mumbling words you cannot comprehend, he sounds frightened. Moonlight from the windows illuminates him - his eyes are squeezed shut, hands grasping the covers, brows pinched together.
You’ve sat up from the bed, unsure of how to help him. Do you wake him? You press your hand to his chest, shushing him. He stops moving, eyes still shut, but more relaxed. You push damp hair from his head, shushing him again, laying on the side of him, wrapping an arm around his stomach. He lets out a shaky breath and seems to fall back asleep.
You’re not sure if it was you, or if the nightmares were over, but at least he stopped. Is this what he meant by him not sleeping last night? Poor Severus. He never talks about his problems. You won’t bring this up, he’d get defensive, he has stormed off before when confronted about his dreams. You just wish you knew what they were about.
You can’t fall back asleep - you didn’t take your sleeping medication. You lay awake until the early hours of the morning and quietly creep out of bed. Severus breathes heavily and turns over, not waking up. You tiptoe out of his room and into the office, heading for the candlestick.
You feel nosey though, so you head to his desk and open the drawers to look around. There’s mainly paper and feather pens, a bottle of liquor in the bottom drawer, a drawer filled with little vials of what look like herbs and seasonings, and a few vials of glowing, seam-like strands. You wish you knew what they were. You quietly fix the desk to how it was and quietly back up.
It’s dark in the office, so you’re unsure of really how far you’ve backed up, until you're backing into a firm body. You jolt, gasping in a breath, whipping around to see Severus standing there, hair awry and shirtless. “Snooping are we?”
You shake your head, turning red in the face from embarrassment. Thank god it’s dark. “No, I’m just nosey, I just-“ you begin, defensively.
“I haven’t anything to hide from you. If you do not trust me, please, say so.”
You swallow, shaking your head. “Of course, I trust you. I’m just curious about what a wizard keeps around the workplace. Jeez.”
Severus’ lip quirks up at your rambling. Thank god he isn’t mad, or so it seems. He leans down and wraps his arms around you, planting a kiss on your neck. “Get to work, baker girl. You’ll be punished later for sneaking around my office.”
He pulls away from you, pushes you softly towards the portkey. You giggle, reaching for the candlestick. “You don’t scare me,” you inform.
“Oh, but I will,” he replies. You grab the candlestick before you can reply, spinning back into the living room of your house.
The rest of the day goes by slowly. You’re closing the bakery today and customers won’t cut you a break with their consistent coming in and out. You just want to think about Severus and what punishment he’ll have for you. You hope he spanks you, like he did when you told him to lose your number.
Cole waves at you as he heads to the door. You tell him to flip the sign over to state that the bakery is closed. He gives you a look, but does it anyway and bustles out the door. You begin to count the cash, growing antsy. You decide to call Severus, but it goes straight to voicemail. That’s odd.
You finish cleaning and preparing for opening tomorrow quickly. You have it down to a science. On your walk home, you try to call Severus again.
“Let me call you back shortly. There’s been an incident that requires my attention,” he greets.
You stop, furrowing your brows. “Is everything okay?”
“For now. Just go home, I will come to get you later.”
You begin to walk again and nod to yourself. “Okay. Bye.”
You hang up and hurry home, feeling anxious about whatever incident Severus is going to be involved in. Once you’re back home, you stride into the kitchen, needing a drink to settle your nerves. You find a red wine and pour it into a glass, then lean against the counter and sip on it.
Once you finish it, you’re warmed up and relaxed. You go pack an overnight bag and shower, changing into a sweatshirt, dark colored skirt, and black tights. You make an effort with your hair, curling it and pinning half of it up in a bun. You even apply makeup to your face and red lipstick. Once you deem yourself ready, you wait in the living room on the couch, nursing the bottle of wine. You wonder if Severus will use the portkey or apparation to come and get you.
He chooses apparation - the pop doesn’t startle you this time. He’s in his typical garb, black frock coat and trousers, enveloped in a cloak. He doesn’t seem very happy. He looks like a brooding bat.
“What’s wrong?” you ask as he approaches you. He grabs the bottle from you, inspects it, then takes a drink. He sits down beside you, sipping on it again before handing it back to you.
“One of the Death Eater’s that was captured back in January escaped a few hours ago from the Auror’s. Trials just finished and they were being transported to the Wizard prison, Azkaban. It’s the one who was at the bakery, threatening you. Rookwood.”
You stare at him, seeing how his hair is slightly blown back, wind blown like. You purse your lips, swallowing nervously. “You tried to catch him.” Severus nods, grasping his hands into fists.
“He was quick. We lost him. I fear he will come back here for you. I defended you, he knows you are connected to me.” Severus pinches the bridge of his nose. “I was so close. I wanted this to be over for good.”
You place a hand on his arm, caressing him. His hands relax. “I doubt he will come back here. He’s probably hiding far, far away. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
Severus’ obsidian eyes meet yours, and a flash of calmness washes over them. “You are right. Like usual. Why are you always right about things that you’ve just only learnt about?”
You smile smugly, looking up. “I was born that way, always right.”
Severus scoffs, then stands, holding a hand out to you. You sling your bag over your arm, then take his hand, whipping out of your house.
After sending your overnight bag to his office, Severus begins your tour at the Quidditch Pitch, where the students play a sport on broomsticks. He explains the game to you and it excites you. You make him promise to take you to a match. From there, you walk around the grounds, visiting Hagrid’s Hut, meeting the nice, gentle giant and petting his new puppy named Shadow. Severus guides you along the tree line of the Forbidden Forest, where you pet Thestrals that come out to greet you and see Centaurs in the distance. He instructs you to not go in, as it is, mostly, forbidden to all students for the dangers that can lurk inside.
He points out a massive willow tree as you head back towards the castle, telling you how it can move and potentially smash into someone if they get too close. Why they don’t cut it down is odd, this is a school with children in it, for god's sake. He holds your hand as you climb up uneven stone steps towards the courtyard. You admire the architecture and sheer beauty of it - you could look at it forever. Severus stares at you throughout his little tour, lips curling up when you get excited or when you react to what he says. He seems to be enjoying this.
It is odd because, though you’ve never visited here, you don’t feel out of place.
He takes you around the castle, where you run into a couple of students who merely walk by murmuring good afternoon. He takes you down to the dungeons and shows you his old potions classroom, then up moving stairways to magnificent rooms and a library. Your favorite place is the Great Hall, where the ceiling is enchanted to look like the night sky and the sun shines through the windows beautifully. Severus sits down in the center chair of the teachers tables, patting his thigh. You sit down on it, wrapping your arms around his neck, planting a kiss on his lips. He sighs into your mouth, tongue sweeping across yours.
“I have a surprise for you,” he informs as he breaks away from your lips. You gaze at him, slowly smiling.
“A surprise? This has all been so wonderful and you’ve also planned a surprise?”
He nods once, gently taking you off his lap. He grabs your hand and leads the way.
You follow Severus through corridors and large hallways, coming up a winding stairwell that leads to a tower. When you come to the landing, you see a cozy loveseat with a table in front of it, scattered with food and wine and a lantern, in front of a wonderful view of the black lake and grounds of the castle. You get closer and see floating candles beginning to light and rose petals scatter across the concrete floor.
“I didn’t think you were such a romantic,” you say, breathless. Severus stands behind you, motionless.
“You don’t like it?” he asks, sounding truly curious. You gawk at him, giving him a thankful look.
“I love it, Severus.” He relaxes and gestures to the front of the tower, where there’s a metal fence wrapping around the ledge. He glances downward, to the grassy fields, eyes lingering in one singular spot. “This has been so great, I love it here. I’ll be sad when you don’t work here anymore.”
Severus breaks his gaze from the ground, meeting your eyes. “We could still come here whenever you like. I, frankly, will feel out of place not being here. I went to school here for seven years and have worked here for close to twenty years. But, there are too many bad memories here. I need to escape.”
You grab his hand, interlocking your fingers with his. “And now you have many good memories to look forward to with me.” Severus rolls his eyes at your romantic words. He likes to be romantic it seems, but seems embarrassed when he is, or when you say something like that.
After watching the sun set fully, you both cozy up on the loveseat and eat and drink. After eating delicious savory food, you get to try good, but odd, wizarding sweets. Chocolate frogs that jump away if you aren’t quick enough, licorice in the shape of a wand, and something called a Fizzing Whizbee that makes you float off the ground - Severus, chuckling at you, has to pull you back to the ground.
You nurse your third glass of wine as you rest your head on Severus’ shoulder. He has a glass for himself in hand. You look up at him, gazing at him and thinking how handsome he is, even if he doesn’t think it. “So, will you move back to Spinner’s End? Since you aren’t going to be living here after you leave?”
Severus shrugs. “For now, probably. I ought to start looking at a new place, since Spinner’s End is so run down and pathetic. Perhaps in London,” he thinks out loud.
You purse your lips, then hesitantly murmur, “well, I can clear out a few drawers and a part of my closet…” you murmur.
Severus eyes you, arching a brow, placing a hand on your thigh. “You’d have me sleep in your closet?”
You laugh, elbowing him. “I mean, for your clothes or what not. Only if you would like.” He runs his hand upward, brushing the inside of your upper thigh, close to your underwear. You shift, staring at him, feeling warmth cover your face.
“It isn’t too soon?” he wonders. You shrug.
“I lived with my boyfriend of three months about half of the time. I enjoyed it.” Severus cocks a brow and his lips twist down in disgust at the mention of a former relationship. You roll your eyes.
“I suppose we can try it out,” Severus says with his eyes shut. “As long as you bake me your delicious treats.” You smile widely, then lean up and straddle his lap, grabbing his face with your hands. His hands grab your hips almost instinctively and he parts his lips, then welcomes yours as you begin to kiss him.
It’s a slow, docile kiss, a happy, hopeful dance between each other's mouths. Severus tongue slips into your mouth after a moment, hands roam up your shirt and over your arse needily. He groans when he takes a handful of your skin into his palm. You go to pull away to catch your breath, but Severus holds you tightly where you are. You groan into his mouth, but he continues tasting you. It’s only when you run your hands through his dark locks of hair and pull hard that he frees you. He jolts back, and you swear you hear a small whimper.
“Jesus, I couldn’t breathe,” you pant, pushing hair back from your face. He glares up at you, dangerously.
“Snooping through my desk… pulling my hair now… how can I let such naughty behavior go?”
You purse your lips, then slowly drag a hand down his chest, down to his groin. You press a hand against his firm cock, staring at him in the eyes. He tilts his head, brows raising. He grabs your hips again, only this time standing. Before you can realize what’s happening, the world around you is spinning and you’re sucked away from the astronomy tower and into Severus’ bedroom that is attached to his office.
You meet his eyes that are darkening with either lust or danger - you can’t tell which. He turns around, still holding you, and throws you down onto his bed. You grunt as you land on your back. “Stay,” he commands, tossing his black jacket to the floor. You watch him strut towards a wardrobe, his white dress shirt showing all of the sharp edges and points of his broad shoulders and body. You take this time to sit up and kick your shoes off. You glance to Severus, who’s holding a belt and what looks like a few other…tools… in his hand. He shuts the wardrobe and begins to stride back over to you. He places a hand on your chest and shoves you down onto your back again.
“I said to stay, young lady.”
You blush. He sits down the items in his hands onto the bed beside you. He holds up what you’ve only seen in raunchy adults stores or have read about. It’s a simple leather strap with a ball in the middle, a gag.
“Do you remember the safe words and signals?” he wonders, calm and collected. You nod, swallowing. He hums pleasantly and takes his wand out from his sleeve. He aims it at you, “Divesto,” and you nearly scream as your clothes move down your arms and legs - you are completely naked in front of him now. “Lovely,” he breathes.
Your skin gets goosebumps immediately, your nipples harden. He leans over you and slips the strap of the gag around your head and presses the ball against your lips. You open and he puts it into your mouth, then tightens the strap. “Give me your hands.”
You swallow, trying to maneuver your teeth and tongue around the gag, then hold your hands up. He reveals a pair of leather handcuffs now from the pile of toys. You groan as he puts them on you. He keeps a hold of the short chain connecting your wrists, staring down at you with no hesitance or modesty. He groans lowly at the sight of you, then shoves you back down. He walks around the bed and sits on the edge, holds a finger up and points at you then points to his lap. You struggle to get up with restrained hands but manage to get over to him. When you’re close enough, he grabs the chain of the restraints and pulls you over his lap, laying you down with your arse over his thighs.
“Naughty girls get punished, [first name],” he begins, rubbing a hand over your bare arse. His hand leaves your skin, then strikes down hard. You jolt, your moans being muffled by the gag. Severus groans, hungrily. He spanks you again, and again, and again. You squirm around, but he places an arm over your back, pushing you down. You can’t reach behind you to even try to stop him, not with your hands bound together. He spanks you again and again, until your arse is tender and red and stinging and you have tears welling up in your eyes. You look over your shoulder at him, begging with your eyes for him to stop, your legs beginning to tremble.
“Fuck,” Severus murmurs, staring at you. “Have you had enough?”
You nod, trying to speak but, again, the gag prohibits it. He spanks you again and you tense, trying to sit up, but Severus shoves you back down. “Hm? I cannot hear you,” he toys, slapping your arse again. This makes the tears in your eyes leak, but fuck it feels good too - you don’t want him to stop, you do want him to stop. He grabs your hair and tugs your head so he can see your crying face.
“Good girl,” he praises, moving one of your thighs and pumping a finger directly into your cunt. You moan now, eyes rolling back - the pain of your arse and the pleasure from his finger is such a complex feeling. He pumps in one finger for a moment, then adds another, curling his fingers up against that extra sensitive spot inside you. Your body twists in pleasure and your legs shake fiercely.
“I want to feel your tight little cunt cum around my fingers, darling,” he informs, thrusting harder. Those words coming from his mouth send you over the edge - your hips jerk as you orgasm. Severus groans deeply, continuing to thrust as you clench around his fingers. You pant, grasping at the bedsheets with your cuffed hands. He reaches to your head and undoes the gag and it falls from your mouth. You audibly moan, coming down from your high. Severus pulls out of your core and begins to rub your arse soothingly.
He helps you sit up beside him, smooths your hair back and leans into your ear. “What a good little slut,” he whispers, then grabs a handful of hair at the back of your head, urging you to the floor. “Now, suck.” He leans back on his elbows and arches a brow when you hesitate. “You're familiar with taking my trousers off. Do not keep me waiting or I’ll have you over my lap again.”
You straighten up and grab his belt buckle, undoing it. He reaches down and pulls your chin up. “Look at me,” he instructs in that baritone voice. It makes you squeeze your legs together - you’re already ready for another orgasm, for him to be inside you, wrecking you. Once you have his trousers off and cock freed, you grab it with both hands, squeezing. He inhales through his hooked nose, leaning back on his elbows again, lazily, as if he isn’t over the fucking moon to have you like this.
You kiss the length of him, holding his dark eyes with yours, going slowly purposefully. His gaze turns into a glare after a minute of teasing. “I suppose I’ll have to set the pace for you,” he says through his teeth. Before you know it, his hand is back in your hair and he is forcing you down onto his cock. You gag immediately but take it like the good little slut you are. He yanks you up and down his length, groaning in pleasure. “Like that,” he commands, then lets you go.
You obey him and continue at the pace, swirling your tongue and sucking with enthusiasm. He murmurs curses under his breath, grasps at the bedsheets, his head lulls back. “Merlin, you’re so good at that,” he sighs, shutting his eyes. You keep going, pushing through the gagging his large cock is causing you. His hips thrust up as your mouth lowers, you choke and he moans, his hands ball into fists and you squeeze your legs together to relieve the aching need between them. He’s fucking turning you on, being like this, so audible and responsive.
Severus is close - his chest is heaving and his breathing is ragged. Before you can wonder if he’ll let you get off this way, he leans up, looking at you with hazy eyes. “Enough,” he sighs, hips jerking unwillingly. You stay there though, sucking eagerly and hurriedly, wanting for him to cum in your mouth while you have him in such a state. “[First name]!” You ignore him, continuing. He hisses through his teeth and his hand lurches out, back to your hair. He pulls a handful of it hard, making you retreat off of his cock. He bends your head so far backwards that it’s nearly uncomfortable. His free hand comes up and slaps you across the face. It jolts you, but a deeper pit of need fills you - you liked that. You really liked that. Your hot face stings from it but you sigh pleasurably. Severus searches you for any sign of hesitance or discomfort - he only finds you gazing at him lustfully, he merely smirks.
He pulls you up to the bed by your restrained hands, forcing you to your back beneath him. You quickly spread your legs, needing him. He lowers his face to your core, spreading you open with his hands, gazing. It embarrasses you - he’s so close to your most intimate part. “Soaked,” he states outloud. “Given what a whore you’ve been this evening, it only makes sense.”
Your eyes shut at his words. You love the way he talks like this to you in bed. His mouth presses into you and his tongue flicks over your folds, deeply and erotically. You moan loudly, unable to help it. His hands grasp your thighs as he keeps going, he even moans a couple of times and it sends delightful vibrations over your cunt. He gets you close, then pulls his mouth away. You hear him spit and your folds get more slick, and you get more needy. He grips your thighs and spreads them further apart. In the same movement, he comes to his knees between your legs, his cock is bright and center, hard and long, needingly weeping from the tip - he thrusts quickly and fully inside of you.
“Fuck!” you gasp, squeezing your eyes shut. Severus shoves your hands above you and commands you keep them there. He gropes your breasts as he fucks you senseless, groaning and sighing and cursing, providing no slow build up - only ruthless fucking. The bed frame slams against the brick walls of the bedroom, your breasts bounce roughly from the force of Severus and his insatiable cock. Your eyes widen when his hand wraps around your throat, squeezing tightly. It’s not hard to breathe but it isn’t easy. And it turns you on even more, making your hips begin to writhe.
“That’s it,” he murmurs, laying over you, head in the crook of your neck, hand still expertly choking you. Your body jolts and pleasure consumes you. “That’s a good girl,” he whispers, then kisses your lips. You moan, mouth opening, and his tongue sweeps in. You’re both so close to each other, bodies rocking together in perfect sync, all of the feeling is nearly too much. Your pleasure has faded from the intense orgasm and now you’re so, so sensitive, but Severus doesn’t let up with his forceful thrusts, like he’s trying to break you. You wrap your legs around his waist to hold on for dear life.
“Hit me again,” you beg, without thinking of what you’re saying, mouth open and face burning red. Severus, who’s still pounding into you with all of his strength, cocks his head, seemingly questioning what he’s heard. Severus loosens the grip on your throat, looking at you directly. “Hit me - ah - please, hit me again, sir,” you whine. Severus removes his hand from your neck and swiftly slaps you across your face - the sound of his hand connecting to your cheek is sudden and startling. You respond with an uncontrollable moan.
“You like that?” he breathes, voice deep and dangerous.
“Yes, so much, fuck,” you mewl, eyes rolling back. He squeezes your cheeks with his thumb and fingers, forcing your mouth open, sighing shakily at the sight of how you look beneath him. He takes his hand away only to slap you across the face again. It’s harder this time, it even hurts, but the pleasure of his cock is making it feel amazing. You moan, begin to unravel again, legs shaking around his waist. He gasps, one hand grasping your waist now, holding you still as he pushes through your orgasm. His head lulls back and he pants tremulously as you moan wildly.
He comes to a halt shortly after, collapsing on to you, emptying himself, moaning against your lips. He’s so much more vocal during intercourse than he was in the beginning of your relationship. He used to stay quiet, almost embarrassed of pleasure. Now, he’s more open, more comfortable with you, more of his true self.
“You’re so fucking good,” he sighs, pulling out of your throbbing core, collapsing beside you. His chest rises and falls as he recovers - that intercourse was the equivalence of a marathon. He glances at you, then sits up and helps you out of the restraints. “Are you alright?” he wonders, tossing them to the floor. You raise your brows, in a daze of pleasure still.
“More than alright, Severus,” you say, slowly. He stares at you, then settles into bed.
“I didn’t do anything you didn’t like?” You prop yourself up on your elbow, picking a few pieces of hair from his face and placing them behind his ear.
“No,” you reply, simply. “I really enjoyed the slapping.”
He hums in response, pulling the blankets over you both. You nestle against him, bringing a leg over his hips. After what feels like several minutes, you ask, “Why do you think you like spanking and smacking and choking and such?”
Severus isn’t bothered by the question. “I like being in control. I like hearing your moans and sighs from it all. It is cathartic for me to do things like that to you.”
You nod, understanding. “Why do you enjoy it?” he asks in turn.
“It…feels good. It pleases you. I feel much less…heavy? After you do those things to me. It brings relief, I suppose.”
Severus nods, looking at you with tired eyes. He caresses your face, then shuts his eyes. “I…” he begins, then stops. He clears his throat. “I am looking forward to being with you more often,” he admits.
“Me too,” you muse, shutting your eyes, yawning. “And I won’t be in that big house by myself anymore.”
You feel his hand press against your face again. “[First name], I…” he begins, but stops, hesitance in his voice. You open your eyes, meeting his, feeling your heart begin to race. Severus stares at you for several seconds, then offers you a signature smirk. “I am glad I found you.”
You look back and forth at his eyes, then smile weekly. “I am glad you found me, too.”
He removes his hand from your cheek, then exhales, turning over. You nestle up against his back and you both fall asleep nearly immediately. Both of you sleep soundly and deeply all night.
In the morning, you shower and get dressed, getting ready to go to the village outside of the castle grounds - Hogsmeade. You’re sore today - no surprise after last night. You find Severus at his desk with coffee when you emerge from his bedroom. He’s reading the wizard newspaper. You run your hand across his back when you get close enough.
“Good morning,” you greet. He places an arm around your waist, sipping his coffee. He pours you a cup and hands it to you. You grab your purse from beside his desk and fish out your phone.
“I was thinking next weekend, we can have tea with Minerva.”
You nod, smiling at him. “Of course, that works well. I have nothing but short shifts next weekend.” Severus offers you a small curl of his lips.
You lower your head to look at your phone - your eyes widen when you have ten missed calls from Cole. Something is wrong. You go to dial him, but have poor service and can’t get through.
“What is it?” Severus asks, seeing the concern on your face. You lower your phone.
“Cole called me ten times about an hour ago. I need to go check on him, I’m worried.”
Severus rolls his eyes. “He’s fine.”
“No, I mean the bakery. What if something happened?”
Severus stares at you, then nods. “Okay. Let’s take the portkey. Just call him first when we get back to your house. Remember, you told him you were going away? You can’t just reappear back in town.”
You nod, standing. You understand that. If anything’s wrong, you’ll just say you headed back early. You both grab each others hand and Severus grabs the portkey. You appear back at home, in the living room. You try to call Cole again and sigh in relief when it rings. He picks up immediately.
“[First name],” he greets, sounding almost relieved.
“Hey! What’s wrong? I saw all your calls. Forget your key to the bakery?”
He’s silent for a moment. You look up at Severus, waiting for Cole to speak, getting anxious. Why isn’t he talking? Why is he being silent?
“Are you home?” Cole asks, nervously.
“Just got in. Why?”
This makes Severus roll his eyes and walk away from you. He had a special day planned for you both. Cole sounds desperate, you’ll have to see what he needs. What could it be?
“You need to come to the bakery.”
“Why? What’s wrong?” you insist.
Cole sighs, seeming like it’s difficult. “I’m sorry, but the building next to the bakery caught fire overnight. It spread to our building.”
Your eyes widen and you’re rushing out the garage door without thinking. Severus takes off after you, saying something to you that you cannot hear. You jump into the car and start it, waving at Severus to get in. He complies, grabbing your arm, but you push him away as you back out of the garage.
“How bad is it?”
“Well, it wasn’t the kitchen side, that's the most expensive right?”
You roll your eyes. “So the dining area?”
“Yeah. I mean…it’s bad, just get here quick.”
He hangs up and you throw your phone into a cup holder.
“What happened-“
“Severus, the bakery caught on fire,” you inform, becoming frustrated. Of course, the first time in fucking what feels like years that you take time off of work, this happens.
Severus is now silent. A minute in the car is all it takes. Fire trucks and police cars crowd the street - not much action like this happens here in Three Bridges. You park, staring at the bakery through the window of the driver's seat. Half of the building is burnt down, you can see the counter and the register sitting on it, but the tables and chairs and booths are melted and crumbled. The building is still smoking, and the building that was beside you - a dry cleaning business - is reduced to ash and rubble. You get out of the car, walking towards the small crowd of people, including firemen and policemen. Cole waves you down, apologizing profusely, as if it is his fault. You shoo him away, not wanting to have to talk to anyone but the authorities.
The next thirty minutes or so goes by like a bad dream.
You give information to the chief of the fire department and police. They said they’d be contacting you next week regarding next steps. For now, you obviously are out of business. You head to the car without really knowing what you’re doing. Everything feels like it’s moving in slow motion. Severus is gone from the passenger seat, you didn’t even notice him get out. You look around the crowd of people, seeing Severus looking around the debris. What is he doing?
He heads back towards you after a moment, making eye contact with Cole before getting into the car. You’re silent on the short trip home. When you enter the house, you sit your bag and keys on the table and stand there.
What are you going to do? This doesn’t seem real. Your grandads bakery is fucking ruined. If you had been home, maybe you could have prevented it somehow. What would your grandad say? Would he be angry with you? Is this your fault?
“[First name?]”
You press your lips together, sniffling. Severus comes up from behind, attempts to wrap his arm around you. You use your hands to shove his arms away, then take a few steps to have some space.
“Please, don’t touch me right now,” you whisper, voice cracking. You pinch the bridge of your nose, trying to shove your emotions away. After a moment, you begin to rub your hands up and down your arms, breathing unrhythmically, beginning to panic. The floor creaks as Severus ignores your request. His arms wrap around you again and don’t budge when you try to shove them away. You gasp quietly, choking in a breath, tears rushing to your eyes.
“Shhh,” he murmurs, turning you around to face him and pulling you into his chest. For some reason, this breaks you. You begin to sob into his shoulder, shuddering and shaking. He picks you up and your arms wrap around his neck. He carries you into the living room, where he sits down on the sofa and maneuvers you to sit in his lap. You lean into him, crying.
“I am sorry,” he breathes into your neck, his large hand rubbing up and down your back. He lets you cry into him until you cannot cry anymore. Why do you have this… dark cloud of misery over you? Why do so many bad things happen to you? It’s like you’re cursed.
You lean back from him, wiping your eyes. “It’ll be fixed,” you whisper, voice still shaken.
“It will be. You can make it into an even prettier place, now.”
You nod, getting off his lap to sit next to him. You put your head into your hands and lean over, trying to deep breathe like Doctor Reed taught you to do in moments of panic. Severus clears his throat.
“It was Rookwood.”
Your head whips over to look at Severus. You study him, swallowing.
“There was magical residue left over. It has to be him. Perhaps he picked up on my own magical signature there.”
He stands, straightening his frock coat and conjuring his cloak. He slips it on, staring down at you.
“I will hunt him again. I want you to stay here and not leave. I will ward the house against any magical beings. He didn’t run away. He wants revenge against me, for betraying him, for capturing him,” Severus goes on, figuring out Rookwood’s motives as he speaks.
You begin to shake your head. There are people whose job it is to catch dark wizards. Severus shouldn’t put himself in danger. You don’t want him to leave, not now.
“I don’t want you to go.”
Severus scoffs, gesturing to you, nostrils of his hooked nose flaring. “He has hurt you to get at me! You expect me to ignore this? I will kill him.”
You stand, reaching for him now, but he steps away from you. “I will kill him and be rid of the Death Eater’s once and for all.”
He begins to wave his wand around your house, murmuring spells you can’t understand. You try to get close to him again but he elegantly avoids you. You try to tell him not to leave but he ignores you, too filled with rage to understand that you need him now more than ever.
When he leaves, he doesn’t say goodbye or hug you, he merely disappears out of your house with a pop of an apparation.