Hilltop Cottage

They had spent a fun couple of hours with Donovan before settling him down for the night. Severus had insisted on charming the wooden train to run in circles, and Donovan’s eyes had lit up and he clapped with joy, not at the train but at the flick and swish of his father’s wand. Before long, the train was replaced with sparkling lights and bubbles, which he crawled around after and popped, giggling and making his parents laugh in the process.



Hermione gave Donovan a last drink of warm milk and went to settle him in his cot. She was just casting her alert charm when a dark shadow blocked the light from the small landing, and she turned to see Severus leaning against the door, his hands casually thrust into his jeans pockets. His face was in shadow, but she didn’t fail to notice the glint in his eye, and the powerful force of his gaze made her tremble slightly.



‘Almost done,’ she said softly. She raised her wand and finished her charm, leaving a soft, golden light around the room as she stepped away from Donovan towards the doorway. As she turned, Severus stood and held out his hand, and Hermione’s heart leapt into her throat as she took it and followed him into the bedroom.



Severus walked behind her and closed the door. The click of the catch made Hermione jump, and suddenly all of her senses were heightened. He walked up behind her and placed his hands gently on her shoulders, then kissed the top of her head softly as he ran his hands down her arms. She shivered slightly, and she heard him chuckle lowly by her ear.



‘Are you sure you want me to stay?’ he said quietly. ‘I am quite prepared to wait for you, if you would rather.’



Hermione took his hands and pulled his arms around her,leaning back against his firm torso. ‘No. I want you to stay. I don’t want to wake up tomorrow and think I’ve imagined it all, ’she said.



‘I had better make sure it’s unforgettable then,’ he whispered. Dropping his hands, he lifted the bottom of her t-shirt and caressed her stomach lightly.



‘My body isn’t what it was, Severus,’ she warned him.



‘Your body was, is, and always will be just a part of you. You are beautiful to me, Hermione,’ he said, and then turned her to face him. ‘Just tell me that this is what you really want.’



His eyes spoke volumes to her, and she could see hope and insecurity and desire, and possibly love there too. Smiling, she nodded.



‘This is what I’ve always wanted. I never should have left in the first place. That damn award, it changed everything. I was so happy before. We were so happy, weren’t we?’ she asked.



‘We were, indeed,’ he said, smiling softly.



Severus cupped Hermione’s cheeks and kissed her gently. She slid her arms around him and they stood together for some time, kissing tenderly, in no rush to go any further than just that. After so long apart, and yearning for this moment, sharing each other and savouring the experience seemed to matter to them both.



Hermione broke their kisses first, softly moaning as she pulled away.



‘Come with me,’ she said quietly, guiding him towards the bed.



She undressed him slowly, until he stood naked before her, his pale skin glowing in the light of the bedside lamp. He was erect, but she didn’t look down. Her eyes were focussed on his face as she started to take her own clothes off. When she reached to unfasten her bra, he stopped her with a gentle hand, and his subtle fingers caressed the soft mounds of her breasts that threatened to spill from the lace cups.



Hermione smiled at the look of awe on his face. Her breasts had grown when she was expecting Donovan, and they just stayed that way. Judging by the reverence Severus was paying them, she thought this could be a bonus she could cash in on now and again.



‘Incredible,’ he breathed, holding her breasts in the palms of his hands.



Hermione laughed softly. ‘Thanks,’ she whispered. She reached behind and unclipped the fastening, and Severus pulled her bra away slowly, as if taking the wrapping from a precious object.



Hermione watched his face as his eyes widened with undisguised desire. Her nipples were much darker now, and stood proud from her breasts. He stepped closer and wrapped his arms about her, pulling her to him until her breasts caressed his chest, and they both sighed at the remembered feeling of each others’ skin. He bent his head and kissed her, deepening the kiss as he unfastened her jeans and pushed them downwards. He didn’t wait for her to take them off before his fingers wound their way through her pubic hair to her moist nether lips, and Hermione cried out into his mouth as her passion for him began to overwhelm her. By some unspoken signal, Severus pulled away, and they climbed into bed and immediately reached for each other.



Tenderly and passionately, they made love beneath the covers. Few words were needed as they kissed and caressed each other, and when he thrust into her for the first time, she arched to meet him, the new but familiar feel of him making her keen with pleasure as he brought her to a shuddering climax. He had been holding himself back, but as her walls trembled around him, he sighed and came deeply within her, kissing her swollen lips time and time again.



Afterwards, they held each other and listened to the other breathing, until Severus spoke.



‘I would very much like it if we got married, Hermione,’ he said quietly. It wasn’t a proposal, but a statement of fact. But it was bloody good enough for Hermione Granger, thank you very much.



‘I’d like that, too,’ she said, and smiled into his chest.



‘Is that a yes?’ He laughed softly.



‘Was it a question?’ she replied.



‘It could be,’ he said.



‘Well if it was, then the answer is yes,’ she said.



Neither of them noticed when they fell asleep, but both wore contented smiles.





***



Hermione awoke the following morning to the aroma of bacon wafting up the stairs. It was early, but for the first time in ages she hadn’t been woken by Donovan’s squeals, and she sat up with a start, grabbing her bathrobe and wrapping around her as she hurried from the room. She glanced in Donovan’s room to find his cot empty, and almost ran down the stairs to check all was well. The sight that met her made her heart sigh.



Severus was standing by the hob in his jeans and an old t-shirt, his feet bare and his hair slightly tousled, prodding bits of bacon around a frying pan. Donovan was sitting in his high chair, waving a slice of toast in his hand. As he saw her, a grin appeared on his face.



‘Mama,’ Donovan said in greeting, and she walked over to plant a kiss on his cheek, laughing as he pulled her closer with a handful of curls.



‘Yes, Donovan, I love you too, now let go of Mummy’s hair, there’s a good boy,’ she said, laughing as she tried to uncurl his tight fist.



Finally free, Hermione turned to Severus and ran her hand across his shoulders gently.



‘Morning,’ she said quietly.



Severus turned and took hold of Hermione’s hand, pulling her closer and holding her to him. His eyes explored her face for a moment, and then unblinking, he kissed her gently, raising his hand to caress her breast through her bathrobe.



Hermione closed her eyes and leant into him, sighing with contentment, and he deepened the kiss briefly. Letting her go with obvious reluctance, he smiled at her.



‘Morning,’ he rumbled, his voice a bit rusty from sleep.



Quietly, Hermione made tea, Severus made bacon sandwiches, and they sat with their son to enjoy their first breakfast as a family.