The rustling of the leaves above you and the feeling of the warm sun allowed you to finally feel an ounce of tranquility in your hectic life. Your back was against the tree trunk and your head was turned up towards the sky, allowing the warm sun rays to hit your face. Severus was sitting next to you, his face was stoic but you knew that he was grateful to finally have some sort of peace and quiet after dealing with his students all morning. The both of you were silent. Just basking in each other’s presence like you used to do.
This has been Severus tree at first but then you started showing up. At first, Severus would leave right after you would park yourself a few feet away from him. He didn’t want to be bothered by the presence of someone else so he just left. After a few weeks of that routine, he got frustrated. He thought that if he didn’t leave, you would, so he decided to stay put. You didn’t budge one bit and he became increasingly upset until one day he snapped.
“Why can’t you just leave me alone!?” he snapped at you as you sat down on the grassy floor underneath the tree Severus claimed as his.
“I’m sorry but I haven’t done anything to you,” you calmly responded.
Severus only narrowed his eyes, “Did they put you up to this?” he asked.
“Who are you referring to?” you questioned.
“James Potter and his gang of hooligans,” he seethed.
“Of course not,” you replied, “I just really enjoy the way the wind makes the leaves sound when there’s a cool breeze. I never meant to make you feel uncomfortable. I can leave if you’d like.”
Now Severus was feeling guilty and he never felt anything for anyone.
“No, it’s fine. You can stay,” he said as he began gathering his things.
“Why do you always leave when I appear?” you questioned his bizarre behavior.
That made him think. He didn’t really have a solid answer. He didn’t have anyone to go to so why would he leave when someone clearly cared enough to ask about his feelings. He let his things fall back to the ground and he sat back down. His back was slouched and his head was in his hands. You sat next to him, a little closer than you usually do. You put your hand on his back and fully expected him to flinch or push you off but he just let your hand stay there.
“What are you smiling about?” you were shaken out of your thought by the voice of your husband.
“Just remembered the first time we actually had a decent conversation without you running away from me,” you allowed your smile to get a little bit wider.
Severus smiled a bit at the memory.
“You did something to me that day,” he commented, “You saved me from always being a vessel of hatred.”
Severus would be forever grateful for you. You were more than just a person to him, you were his everything.