Private Life of Severus Snape

Title: Importance of Sleep
Category: Harry Potter
Rating: PG-13
Authors: tiaoconnell and bewize
Warnings: spanking
Author\'s Note: yet another Ana and Severus story!

Friday had finally arrived, and Ana was resisting the urge to cancel her classes for the day. She managed to trudge into breakfast, her hair in a messy bun, her royal blue robe wrinkled, no make-up on her face. She managed a tight smile to all the staff as she sat in her chair, stifling a yawn. \"Pass the syrup please,\" she said softly to Dumbledore, who complied with a smile and a twinkle in his eye.

She took the syrup and began to pour; just before she could take a bite, her eyes began to roll back in her head and she slumped over to the side. A few seconds later, she hit the floor with a thud.

Pandomonium ensued as the teaching staff at Hogwarts rushed around their fallen comrade. Madam Pomfrey shooed them away quickly and muttering a spell whisked Ana to the hospital wing. Finals time was hard on everyone, staff included. It wasn\'t unheard of for students and teachers to hit the ground for a much needed nap during the stress of exams.

Severus followed, glaring at anyone who dared to catch his eye, staff included. His robes billowed around him like a black cloud of doom as he followed the old and trusted nurse to her domain in Hogwarts, watching as Ana was settled into a bed.

Madam Pomfrey ignored his glares and puttered around gathering things she needed for a potion. \"Really, Severus! She\'ll be fine. Quit hovering like a mother hen and sit down out of the way until I finish tending her.\"

Ignoring her warning to sit, Severus continued to pace, his face a frightening storm as he struggled to keep worry from showing should anyone walk in and spot-- Merlin forbid-- his human side.

\"Severus, I\'m warning you!\" Poppy scolded. \"I cannot work and give her this potion with you pacing all over the place. Sit down, or leave!\" She pointed to a chair beside the bed, and waited for his answer.

He frowned at her, but his good common sense told him that the nurse was best suited to handle this. \"Very well, Madam, but I am NOT leaving.\" Having made his stand, Severus took a seat where she had indicated.

A few minutes later, she was administering a glowing pink potion that smelled like strawberries. The color returned to Ana\'s cheeks and a moment later her eyelashes fluttered open. Severus moved immediately to her side.

\"God, my head,\" she mumbled, reaching a hand up to rub a bump that had formed when she met the floor up close and personal. \"What the hell happened?\" she looked aroundconfconfusion, trying to sit up. \"Never mind, I\'ve missed breakfast and need to go to class....\"

\"I\'m sure Dumbledore has already cancelled your classes, Ana.\" The worry in Severus\' eyes belayed the sternness in his voice. \"You passed out at breakfast.\" Madame Pomfrey interrupted him. \"You probably just have been working too hard, dear. End of the semester stress hits us all, I guess.\"

\"Some more then others apparently,\" Ana commented quietly. \"Could you find out if my classes are cancelled Severus? If they are, I\'m going to go to bed. I guess 24 is finally too old to go without sleeping for a bit, hmm?\" she laid back down, and rested her head against the pillows. \"I\'m rather hungry too.\"

Snape nodded. \"Consider it done. I\'m certain I can summon up some breakfast for you. I take it you haven\'t eaten much for the past few days, either?\" Her silence confirmed his suspicions and he nodded, but his eyes promised that they would discuss it later.

\"Thank you\" she looked at him, her eyes filled with love, and rest her hand on his. \"I\'ll be fine, I promise. I\'ve just been busy and stressed out and forgotten to take care of myself is all. Now, a little assistance to a bed might be nice, since I don\'t feel like spending the entire day here.\"

Poppy chuckled. \"None seem to want too, that\'s for sure,\" the nurse commented. Ana whispered. \"Your\'s or mine?\" Meaning which place he\'d rather have her rest at.

Severus swept her up, carrying her easily. He didn\'t care if people did see them in the halls, but he was fairly sure that they would be deserted. Her head rested on his shoulder as he made his way to his dungeon rooms.

Ever since Ana had entered his life, and his bed, his rooms had taken on a cheerier more feminine look. Evidence of her was everywhere. Throw pillows on the sofa, a soft rug on the floor, potpourri in a bowl on the coffee table. He laid her gently in the bed and planted a quick kiss on her temple. \"I\'ll return directly. But first, I need to make sure your classes are covered. I don\'t have a class until later this morning, so I\'ll be back with some breakfast for you.\"

Ana nodded and leaned up, kissing his lips softly, gently. He could smell the scent of her shampoo-- a mix of flower and fruit extracts, and the smell was intoxicatingly sweet. \"Thank you. You\'d make a wonderful nurse,\" she teased softly, before yawning and snuggling against the pillows, her cinnamon curls splayed across the dark green satin of his pillowcase.

Severus hurried about, his normal stalking gait serving him well as students and faculty alike hurried out of his way. Dumbledore spotted him across the corridor.

\"Ah, Severus. I have taken the liberty of cancelling Ana\'s classes. I am certain that she won\'t mind. Please, give her that message and tell her that I hope she feels better soon.\" His eyes twinkled knowingly. \"As good as can be expected, anyway.\"

Severus gave a curt nod. \"Of course headmaster. I\'m sure your message will be appreciated, and yes, she will be feeling better in one sense of the word in no time at all, I am quite sure.\"

With one mission completed, Severus headed towards the kitchen. A few minutes later, he watched satisfied as several house elves loaded up a tray and headed in the direction of his room. Ana was a favorite among them and he knew they\'d see she ate. He included a note on the tray. \"Eat and sleep, dearest. I\'ll be back later this morning. S.\"

Ana smiled to herself as she read the note. He could really be so very sweet, though hardly anyone ever knew it. That and she was smart enough not to go advertising it of course!

While barely able to keep herself awake, Ana ate half of what was brought to her on the tray-- pancakes, eggs, bacon, a muffin-- as well as two glasses of orange juice. She stood up slowly and undressed, laying her robe, skirt and shirt on a chair in the room before pulling out a nightgown from one of her drawers in Severus\' dresser. The cool of the blue satin felt good, and she slid into the sheets, pulling them and a blanket tight around her, right up to her chin. A moment later, she was sound asleep.

It was nearly lunch time when Snape finally made it back to his chambers. His class had gone better than could be expected, only one incompetent student had blown up a cauldron. He hadn\'t even cared enough to give that boy detention. All his thoughts were on Ana.

Said lady in question, having invaded the Potion Masters thoughts, was still soundly asleep when he arrived at his chambers. Other then looking slightly pale, she looked none the worse for wear, which was a great relief. She didn\'t stir as he entered the bedroom, too deep in her dreams to notice such a quiet presence and entrance.

He sat on the sofa across from the bed and gathered homework scrolls to be graded. He was content to let her sleep herself out. She\'d wake up when she was rested and they could deal with event then.

A few hours later, he noticed a difference in the room and looked up. Ana was watching him sleepily from the bed.

\"Hi honey,\" she said with a little yawn, making a cat-like stretch on the bed. \"When did you get back? The breakfast was really great by the way. Remind me to thank the house elves later on.\" She gave a cute little wave, then patted the bed for him to come sit with her. \"Hold me a bit?\"

He chuckled knowingly and went to the bed where he stretched out beside her. \"Are you feeling better?\" He looked at her intently, searching for signs of exhaustion in her eyes or expression.

Ana cuddled beside him, allowing his arms to wrap around her as his eyes searched her over. \"Yes, much better. I promise. I\'ll be sleepy again in a bit, and probably hungry again too! But I\'m not going to pass out again\"

\"What happened, Ana?\" Severus couldn\'t keep all of the worry out of his voice. \"Pomfrey said you were simply exhausted. Haven\'t you been taking care of yourself?\"

\"It\'s those grade reports. I guess I\'m too kind to my students. I let them re-do things for some extra points and such. Defense is a hard course for the older students. So I waited for everything to be turned in, then I finally had to grade it and then average all the grades for the term and write out reports for EACH and every one of my students. There are too many of them! Finally, I just had to stay up all night for a nighnights and finish them\"

\"A few nights?\" Snape\'s eyebrows drew together threateningly. \"How long have you been without sleep?\"

Ana bit her lip. \"Three....\" she said softly. \'\"it had to get done love\"

\"You didn\'t sleep for three nights? In a row?\" He sat up slowly. \"I know that the reports have to get done, but they don\'t have to get done at your expense, Ana! You could have taken a few days more. The deadline isn\'t until tomorrow. I\'m still finishing my grading.\" He frowned at her.

\"Yes in a row....\" Ana said. \"Severus, don\'t get upset. I used to do it all the time. I don\'t know why this time was different, why it made me sick. But I knew I had no other choice, and I still have a final 14 to go through tonight\"

\"No, you don\'t!\" His voice was irritated. \"Don\'t tell me not to be upset. You collapsed at breakfast! And don\'t think that your student\'s didn\'t see you do it either. No one wants their grades at the cost of their teacher.\"

Severus hesitated a second. \"At least not in your class,\" he clarified. \"And, I\'ll tell you another thing, you are not a teenager anymore. You can\'t just go without sleep without hurting yourself. And I don\'t care how many reports you have to finish!\" He was growling by the end.

Ana raised an eyebrow and put a finger over his lips. \"Do not growl Severus, please. You will give me a headache, and that is the last thing I need when trying to recover from exhaustion. I\'m sorry I frightened everyone, truly, but I cannot change that now. I\'ll know my body is not able to handle that in the future, and I won\'t try it again. Now please, just love me and hold me before I decide to sleep again, alright? I love you Severus, but I\'ve learned my lesson about what I can handle and what I can\'t. there is no need to scold.\"

\"Alright, Ana. I won\'t scold anymore. But, promise me that you will take today and rest. Dumbledore will have no problem waiting an extra day to get those scrolls from you.\"

Ana nodded. \"You have my word that I will be a very good patient and eat and rest all day today\" she leaned up and kissed him. \"See? you don\'t have to spank me every time!\" She half smirked, rather proud of herself.

He watched her closly and a smile spread slowly over his face, making her squirm. \"I only promised not to scold, my dear. I said nothing about not spanking you for your careless attitude about self-care, did I?\"

Ana slapped the pillow behind her. \"Severus! Talk about splitting hairs! That is really not fair. Haven\'t I suffered enough today love? MUST you spank me? I think I\'ve learned quite well without it\" she said defiantly.

\"Really? Tell me what you\'ve learned, then, please.\" He laid back against the headboard, watching her curiously.

Ana sighed. \"That I should take better care of myself, and ask for extentions when neccessary. That I am no longer a teenager with teenager sleeping habits and abilities. That I scared you when I passed out, as well as everyone else. That I needlessly put myself at a health risk. Did I cover everything?\" she leaned back on the pillow, looking up at him.

Severus hesitated for a moment, a flicker of nervousness entering his eyes before disappearing as fast as it came. \" I\'d like to ask you another question, Ana. I don\'t think I can put up with the risks you needlessly run for yourself. You do know your limits, but you go beyond them. That is not a bad thing, in and of itself, its how we grow. But, I don\'t like the fact that you put yourself at risk needlessly. I want you to move in with me. I want you where I can see you and where I can find you. I want you where I can keep an eye on you and make sure that you are taking care of yourself the way you deserve to be cared for. What do you think?\"

Ana\'s eyes widened as she took in all of his words. Then she threw her arms around him and kissed him deeply. \"Yes, I will move in with you, because I love you and cannot imagine being without you,\" she whispered. \"And that is how you feel right? You don\'t want me to move in to baby-sit me and that\'s it?\"

\"No, I don\'t want to babysit you.\" He chuckled. \"I want to love you.\" He held her close and breathed in the scent of her hair. \"I do love you, Ana. Very much.\"

\"That\'s what I want. To love you every day. So yes Severus, I want to move in with you\" she whispered. \"I love you with all my being\"

\"I hope you still feel that way in a minute, my dear.\" He tightened his grip. \"You did scare me this morning. You terrified me. I can\'t get the image of you crashing to the ground out of my mind.\" His voice caught, but he took a deep breath and pressed on. \"I know you think you\'ve learned your lesson. But, I know you. I know you better than you know yourself. It won\'t be long before you push yourself to the breaking point again. And next time, it might not be something Poppy can fix with a potion.\"

\"Severus\" she whispered, as he tightened his grip. \"Love, this really isn\'t neccessary, is it? I know you know me so well, but... I don\'t want to be spanked...\"

\"I know. But, that\'s why it works so well.\" He kissed her forehead. \"Nothing gets through to you as well.\"

Ana pouted, knowing he was right. \"I won\'t hurt myself purposely,\" she assured him, nestling in his arms. \"I love you so much, I don\'t want to do something that will make me leave you\"

\"I know that, Ana. It\'s the \"not on purpose\" things you do that scare me.\"

Ana looked into his eyes for a moment, then, knowing his was right, hung her head. \"I\'m sorry Severus\" she whispered. \"I never meant to scare you so. I can only imagine how it must have hurt you\"

\"You didn\'t hurt me. The thought that you were sick or injured hurt me.\" Even as he was speaking he flipped her gently over his lap, keeping them both stretchd out comfortably on the bed.

\"And knowing that it\'s something that you can prevent in the future only makes me determined to give you a sharp reminder.\" He pulled her silky nightgown up, baring her thighs and panties. \"I won\'t take chances with you, Ana. And I don\'t intend to let you do so either.\"

Ana wriggled into a comfortable position, resting her head on the comforter. \"I know Severus. I\'m sorry love, I really am.\" she sniffled. \"I hate this, I get nervous when I\'m in trouble,\" she stated, cringing.

\"It won\'t be so bad.\" He waited until she had finished wiggling. \"I\'d rather you be nervous that hurt.\" With that he brought his hand down firmly on her left cheek.

\"Ouch!\" she yelped. The first swat always seemed much harder to take then the others. She could feel a sting where his hand landed and wriggled slightly.

He brought his hand down on the other side. Her wriggling was proving distracting and he brought his attention sharply back to the matter at hand. Then he brought his hand down sharply on the shaply rear draped over his lap.

Ana tried her best to keep still, even though a distraction would have proved better served for her bottom anyway! SHe yelped and kicked her legs slightly as the stinging began to grow. \"Ouch! Oww!\"

After a few minutes, he slipped her panties down so he could see his target. He really didn\'t intend to give her a painful spanking, but he wanted to make his point. A steady rythm soon had her gasping. When her bottom was a soft shade of red, he stopped.

Ana was sniffling and wriggling across his lap, her bare red bottom exposed to his hand still. \"I\'m sorry\" she sniffled. \"I\'m sorry Severus\"

He rubbed her bottom gently. She was so damn sexy, but he knew she needed to rest. Reluctantly, he pulled her panties up and pulled her up against him. He settled them both in the bed. \"It\'s alright now,\" he soothed. \"All\'s forgiven.\"

She reached a hand back to rub her red bottom, wincing. \"Thanks for going easy on me,\" she whispered. \"I\'d shag you senseless, but I\'m much to tired and this silly lump on my head is thumping again\" she rubbed his face gently with her hand, looking at him lovingly.

\"I\'ll take a rain check,\" he whispered, snuggling her closer. \"For now, I think we both need a nap.\"

\"Did spanking me wear you out?\" she teased softly, her eyes beginning to close slightly as she nestled her face against his broad chest, ready to drift into sleep

\"You wear me out, my dear. But, its a pleasant exhaustion that I\'ll never grow tired of.\" He laughed against her hair. \"And, don\'t take that as a personal challenge. I won\'t ever be too tired to spank you when you need it.\"

Hmm, for pleasure too?\" she murmured, her eyes closed now, her hand resting around his chest, fitting perfectly against him.

\"For pleasure, too.\" He yawned, his eyes drifting shut. \"But, like a said. I\'ll take a rain check now.\"

They drifted into a peaceful sleep, content in one another\'s arms. It surprised no one that they were both late for supper in the Great Hall that evening; by now, all the students and staff knew, and none of them could say they weren\'t glad for the Professors to find someone. The students just wondered how and why the two opposites attract. But attract they did, and together, they were wonderful.