Bound

Chapter Ten

"I don't have a spare bedroom unfortunately. You can sleep in my bed or the pullout from the couch."
Says Severus, still nervous.

"In bed with you or I'd take your room and you take the couch?"
I ask.

"With me? Unless that makes you uncomfortable."
His cheeks flush a light red.

"With you sounds delightful."
I say calmly, in attempts to hide my excitement.

"I don't want you to feel forced. If you change your mind you can always wake me up to swap."
His eyes drop to the floor.

"This is fine. I feel very comfortable around you."
I say, giving him a half smile, full of reassurance.

"Are you tired?"
He asks behind his hair. He doesn't sound tired and I don't feel it, yet.

"No, not at the moment, you?"
I have a bad habit of staying up later than I should, even on school nights. How I function during the day, is still a mystery to me.

"Just a little, but not to the point of wanting to sleep. I can make some tea and we can watch something on the television."
Before I have a chance to answer, his back is turned and he's headed for the kitchen.

Above the fireplace sits a television mounted to the wall, the remotes sit on the shelf next to a picture frame. I take a few steps closer to take a look. There's Severus, much younger of course, standing next to what looks like a young Professor McGonagall. From what I've observed, over the years, is that they have a very tight knit friendship, something I hope to continue with Blaise and Draco, and Luna of course. The next frame holds a family portrait. A tall man with black hair and dark eyes stands to Severus' left, while a black haired, fair skinned woman stands to his right. She's beautiful, her clear skin stands out next to the darkness of her hair and her eyes. Faint shades of green, mixed in with light brown. The more focused I become on the portrait, I can point out what features Severus gets from either parent. He looks mostly like his father, but gets his nose and skin color from his mother. If they're still alive, I would one day like to meet them.

"Here you are darling."
His voice slides through my thoughts, cutting them off. My nose is filled with the aroma of this blend. I smell lavender, and honey. I take a sip.

"Thank you. This tastes amazing."
I was never much of a tea drinker but from what I've tasted over the years, this is the best.

He must of noticed my eyes wander back to the picture because he answered the question I had in my head.

"That's my father, his name is Tobias. He was a muggle, and a bit of a drunk. He didn't care much about anything and was abusive to me and mum. My mother, Eileen, did all she could for me. I miss her."
His face became sullen.

"May I ask, what happened to them?"
I say quietly.

"One day they got into a huge fight, my mum died protecting me. A few years later, the quilt and alcohol took over and I found him dead in his room. I was 17."
His fingers graze my jawline and move to my chin.

"I-I'm so sorry. I couldn't imagine what that was like, especially so young."

"Don't be. Wherever my mum is, she's safe. That's all I've ever wanted for her."
He gives me a half hearted smile. I can see that he means what he says.

"Enough with the heavy."
He says and hits a button on the remote, tuning on the television.

For the next hour we talk about our past and how different Hogwarts was then to now, the show on the television is nothing but background noise. It's around 1:30am when we get up and walk to Severus' bedroom.
His room is large, a queen sized bed sits in the middle of the room with a bedside table on either side. A small desk, covered in parchment and books sit directly under the window to the right. A long, mahogany dresser sits across from the bed, another television mounted to the wall above it.

"I should of told you to pack a change of clothes. You can borrow a shirt of mine to sleep in, if you want."
Says Severus from the bathroom.

"That would be great, thank you."

"Go ahead and open the third drawer down on the left side. You can pick whatever one you want."
I hear the water running as he brushes his teeth.

I follow his instructions and open the third drawer down on the left. All the shirt I find are black which makes me laugh a bit. My wardrobe looks the exact same for the most part. I pull out a plain black shirt, and change quickly before he comes out. I leave my clothes in a neat stack on the chair in the corner.

"Are you decent love?"
He calls out.

"Yes."
My eyes follow him as he walks around the side of the bed and over to me. His big hand caresses my cheek. His head lowers to plant a gentle kiss on my forehead.

"Time for bed dear."
He smiles before pulling away.

We climb into bed and drift to sleep.

*3:30am*
Lilith's nightmare:

Severus and I went to see The Quidditch World Cup. That night after the game we settled into our tents to relax and talk about an amazing day. In the middle of the conversation, screaming can be heard from outside.
Severus and I both grab our wands and put our shoes back on.
"We need to leave. Now."
Says Severus.
We don't worry about grabbing our bags since there's nothing of much importance in them. Once outside we are greeted with great terror. Tents from miles and miles around are up in flames, scared wizards and witches running in all different directions. Parents trying to hold onto their children. Within a blink of an eye, Severus is gone.
"Sev?!"
I call out. Thinking he's only a few feet away from me, but I get no reply.
"Severus!"
I yell.
I look around frantically as the panic sets in. My feet take off on their own, trying to get myself to safety while also looking for Severus. A group of hooded figures, chant, and shoot fire around them as they make their way past the tents, causing death and destruction as they go. The next thing I see is darkness, as I collapse to the ground.
I'm woken shortly after, finding nothing but ash and pieces of tent and tarp all around me. In the distance I hear heavy footsteps. I find a barrel that wasn't too destroyed from the fire and crawl behind it, trying not to be seen by a possible perpetrator.
I watch as he walks, in no particular direction, just straight ahead. After a minute, he stops. He pulls a wand from his black coat, and aims it towards the sky. A bright light is shot through the air, creating the dark mark in smoke. I squint my eyes, trying to see if I recognize who it is.
Barty Crouch Jr.
I gasp. He must of heard me because his eyes lock onto mine.
The scene changes and I find myself in a small room. Most of the walls are tainted glass.
"Lilith...."
I look over and find Severus, beaten up and bleeding, resting against a window. I crawl over quickly.
"Sev?"
"Hello darling."
My hand flys to his neck, applying pressure to his wound. He manages a small smile.
"Darling, the-there's no point."
"Yes there is. I can save you."
I watch his eyes flicker down to his legs and torso. There I find multiple deep wounds. My heart sinks into my gut. Realization spreads across my face as I know even advanced magic cannot help. Tears fill my eyes. I can't contain them and I let them fall.
"I...I..lo..ve you."
His hand grazes my cheek before it drops. His eyes close and a faint, last breath slips from his lips.
"NOOO!"
My scream becomes so loud, part of the window shatters behind me.
*
I wake up screaming. Tears falling down my cheeks and staining the comforter. I look to my right to find Severus, still asleep, and breathing. He's okay.