Soul of Ice

36. The Eleventh Hour

It was Saturday, and Persephone was sat on the bed reading the latest issue of Potions Weekly Severus had left on his bedside table. A little after one o'clock in the afternoon, Severus came into the room from his office, scowling as usual.

His expression softened when he saw her propped up against the pillows on the bed, reading his magazine. Wordlessly, he slid himself under her arms to rest his head on her lap.

"You carry on," he said matter-of-factly when Persephone moved to put the magazine down.

"Why would I want to read a boring old article about asphodel when I've got you here?" Persephone said as she placed the magazine back down on the table, and Severus scowled up at her.

"That article was quite illuminating, actually," he informed her.

"Oh, is that so?"

"Mmm." Even so, he seemed glad that she'd put the magazine down, as he kissed his way up her torso until their lips connected.

"How was your detention?" Persephone asked as Severus settled in to sit next to her.

"Three hours too long," he grumbled.

"You're the one who set it."

"Yes, and Potter is the one who earned it."

"Did you really get him filing James' pranks?"

The satisfied smirk on Severus' face was all the answer she needed. "You are so bad," Persephone laughed. "I still can't believe you made him do detention during the last Quidditch match of the year."

Severus grunted, and his hand balled into a fist.

Persephone knew what he was thinking. His anger and, although he'd never admit it, fear after discovering Harry Potter had used sectumsempra on Draco Malfoy had been something else to behold. He was right, of course - Harry had been extremely stupid. Not only had he risked Draco's life, but if Draco had died, Severus would have failed his Vow and died too.

That was the trouble with loving someone so heroic but with such little regard for himself. Severus loathed Harry, and yet he had been working tirelessly to keep him safe. Even though he'd had a previously good relationship with Draco, it was now fraught, and yet Severus had bet his life on keeping the boy safe, even weeks after Lucius had shown complete disdain for their own child's life.

And Abbie. Persephone was certain there was nothing Severus wouldn't do for her. They had been bickering a lot recently. Abbie was a hormonal teenager, so some biteback was to be expected, but combined with Severus' stress as the deadline for Draco's task loomed nearer, the pair of them were a powderkeg, and Persephone often found herself having to act as mediator between her child and her partner.

Three hot-headed teenagers, each with their own fraught relationships, each too stubborn to admit their fear as the world around them grew more dangerous by the day. Although she knew it was wrong, Persephone sometimes wished Severus would be more selfish and only worry about Abbie. Draco had his own family to worry about him, and Harry, although an orphan, had enough parental figures in his life to be getting on with. Neither of them needed Severus, not like Abbie did.

But, if Severus were so selfish, he wouldn't be the man she loved. When they were young, she had fallen in love with him at his worst, when he had been as selfish as she had been. As much as she regretted her decision to cut him out of her life, she wasn't sure, in the long run, it was the wrong choice. Neither of them had been ready for one another then. Meeting him again fourteen years later had been like falling in love with him all over again. He was a changed person, but so was she, and right here, right now, she knew everything in their lives had led them to be perfect for each other.