The Princess and the Bloodstone

Midnight Meeting

Holly

There was no need to use Lumos on such a bright night. The sharp silhouette of Hogwarts stood out against the clear starry sky and below her feet was the Great Lake. Frozen, of course.

Holly was making her way across the ice crust with a rather brilliant idea of surprising the Potions Master at his window. He hadn't been at mealtimes since they parted ways the previous evening and she was climbing the walls with impatience — he'd promised to talk to Dumbledore on her behalf and she was hellbent to find out if he had learned anything new.

Don't forget the birth control, she reminded herself, rolling her eyes. Her belly twinged as images of their latest escapade flashed by.

She breathed the cold air deeply, feeling happier than she had been in a long time. Sure, part of it was her enjoying the physical challenge of trekking over the iced-like long after curfew - and knowing that Umbridge went home for Christmas. But there was an undeniable lightness in her chest since she had given Severus her body. Apart from it being more fun than she'd ever had, Quidditch included, he had become something of an anchor. Severus was an ally that had always been there, haunting her periphery. The world was ever-changing. He was constant, and in him, she'd found a wonderland of physical sensations she didn't know she was capable of experiencing. When they were together, nothing else mattered because they could generate their own all-consuming little universe. It was like seducing Severus Snape had become a hobby. A passion. Sex also meant Voldemort's plans could be ruined, and that was fantastic too.

A deep set window and balcony came into view just above the surface of the lake, and she imagined the look on Severus's face when he discovered her outside.

All this had been necessary since Filch had blocked her way to the dungeon stairs by sweeping the top step extra slowly . With no chance to slip down unnoticed, she made the bold call to visit Severus's cliffside window by stealing over the lake on the clear moonlit Sunday evening.

Her wellingtons triggered small fissures in the ice and created echoes of crackling and popping sounds that ran off in various directions from her feet. It was unnerving at first, but the sheet of ice was thick and mostly covered in snow, which mostly created the illusion of walking on the snowy ground. The parts where she could see the icy, precarious glass walkway caused tingling in her palms.

The invisibility cloak was draped over her shoulders, but her face was unobscured. Along with her bag, two colourful boxes were squeezed beneath her arm, one Mint Chocolate Frogs and the other a special edition of Christmas-themed Cauldron Cakes. These were provisions just in case he permitted her to spend the night in his chambers. And if she got her way, possibly even the next night. But that was jumping the gun since there was the very real possibility of one of his moods turning her plans on its head. To improve her chances, Holly was scrubbed squeaky clean, with her hair wrestled into a messy bun and eyelids painted into cat eyes with makeup she got from Ginny for Christmas. She wore a long red woollen skirt she'd bought in Hogsmeade on her last visit with a tight cream turtleneck under her thickest coat. All things considered, she felt very put together. In her mirror, the silhouette had looked elegantly modest and yet showed off her shape in a pleasing way.

She'd even tweezed her brows and shaved her legs — all in the dead of winter and for a man that she knew wouldn't care whether or not she kept her winter fur trimmed. All in all, the 'treatments' were a confidence booster. And when she was confident, Severus proved to be much more manageable. Holly smirked at the thought of teasing him as she neared the cliffside. He was reserved by nature, but she had learned that he could be drawn from his brooding through 'physicality', so she planned on making it a point to touch him more often.