In Memoriam (Sequel To Hope For The Hopeless. Severus x Reader)

The Other Side

 "If you don't slow down, you're going to kill me," Severus moaned as he gripped the handle above the door.

"You're being dramatic again. I thought you had got used to this?" you asked, slowing down so you could concentrate less on the task at hand and more on him.

"Me too but it turns out I was wrong. I prefer slower," he panted, the feeling of sweat forming along the back of his neck.

"I can't go much slower."

"For the love of Merlin, woman, slow down." His deep voice rose above his normal volume.

"Okay, okay," you conceded, pressing your foot on the brake pedal, slowing down the car further.

"Thank you," he sighed and then relaxed into the seat. His hand still gripped the handle until his knuckles were white and he kept his eyes closed but he no longer looked like he might jump out of the window at any moment.

Severus had yet to comprehend your penchant for driving or why you had insisted that any long journey to be taken during the school holidays had to be done in a car – but you had, and he had entertained the idea, seeing how much you wanted to do it. He quickly found that he was not as enamoured with it as you were. On the smaller roads, he had managed to keep his cool, but hurtling down the motorway, past other death trap metal boxes on piddly rubber rings that could burst for all sorts of reasons was something entirely different.

Three days ago was the first time he had been in a car. His family was far too poor to own one when he was younger and being immersed in the Wizarding world since joining Hogwarts at 11 years old, he had never had a reason to step foot in a vehicle (except the Hogwarts Express). On occasion, as a child, he had caught the bus with his mother into the town but it was rare, as the bus costs money while walking was free. Severus didn't remember the bus being so unnerving though.

You reached your hand over the gear stick and grabbed his free hand and placed it on your thigh, leaving yours over the top of it. The ends of his fingers began to gently rub into the blue denim of your jeans as you stretched your back out and readjusted in your seat. It had been a long, fruitless day of sitting idly in the same seat, staring at the same building for hours.

It was a magical fortress that ran like clockwork. 3 times a day, at the same time there would be, what you and Severus could only guess was some sort of shift change. Or it was simply just for show for the public. Either way, it ran better than either of you had ever seen from the Ministry.

Disappointment and part frustration had settled in on this visit. Severus would still not allow you to get out of the car and closer, feeling that you were risking enough at the distance you were at. Instead, you sat and watched and hoped. For anything. But nothing came. No feelings. No ideas. Absolutely nothing.

"You seem distracted," Severus spoke through semi gritted teeth as his fingers continued kneading into your leg. He felt ridiculous. He'd flown through the air on nothing more than a piece of wood at near 100 mph, but 65mph in what he was assured was a 1.9 litre engined, Ford Escort, was near nauseating.

Severus watched as you kept your eyes fixed on the road ahead but he could see the ruminations of your mind without having to look. It was not yet dark but the sky was growing into a fierce pink, the same as it had the last few nights. Severus squinted into the summer evening.

"Distraction probably isn't the best..." you overtook a car meandering in the left-hand lane and Severus held his breath as the car pulled forward, before finishing his sentence "when you're driving, darling."

"I'm fine," you mumbled, as you looked over your shoulder and pulled into the slip lane to get off at the next exit.

"You don't seem fine," he replied, looking at the road signs above. He'd remembered them from the last visit and knew the B&B was close by.