A Room With a View

Seeds

The next morning...

Severus woke slowly - a luxury he'd not had for most of his life and had learned to revel in over the past few years. He was almost obnoxiously warm due to a certain curvy little witch and the weight of her limbs on his chest and hips. Sweet Circe, the woman is a furnace when she sleeps. He peered down at the mop of wild curls currently trying to make their way into his nose and mouth and couldn't quite suppress a wry grin. This was the second night she'd spent with him and despite the fact that they'd been fully clothed both nights he couldn't help but think this was marked progress in their relationship. Apparently he wasn't the only one who'd noted his closeness to a woman. Severus winced a bit as his morning erection pressed against the zip of his pants; apparently it had noticed that there was a soft female in the bed and oh, by the way, he could probably have her now if he just reached out and...

He cut those thoughts off with a snap, choosing instead to slide his (completely numb) arm out from beneath his companion and extricate his body from beneath her (Gods, superheated!) appendages so he could relieve himself. Once a certain pesky pant-intruder was again quiescent, he returned to the bedroom and leaned against the doorframe, looking at the sleeping witch in his rooms. Severus reflected that he liked the look of Hermione in his bed, even if her hair was doing its impression of the giant squid attacking his headboard and pillows. She looked peaceful in her sleep and it occurred to him that this must be the only time when he couldn't see the thoughts racing across her face.

He checked the time and noted that it was still early - just past eight. Deciding to let her sleep awhile longer, he quickly changed into workout clothes and padded downstairs to roll out his exercise mat. He cast a quick notice-me-not and silencing charm before beginning the set of exercises that were his near-daily routine. Just because she knew he practiced didn't mean he wanted her to be able to watch him contort and rhythmically breathe his way through the set.

An hour later he was drenched in sweat but feeling much more limber than he had upon waking. He called for a house elf and asked that tea and breakfast pastries be placed in the dining room before climbing the circular stairs to the bath. He peeked into his bedroom and noted that Hermione was now taking up the entire bed by laying diagonally with her feet dangling off one end and her hair hanging off the other. And that she was snoring. Loudly. With a little smirk, he gathered pants, slacks, and a soft jumper, then went to wash.

He found her sitting cross-legged in the midst of the bed when he emerged from the bath. "Good morning," he said, tilting the corners of his mouth into a small smile.

She smiled in return, lifting a hand in an attempt to reign in the beast that was her hair. "Morning. How long have you been up?"

"Awhile. Breakfast should be down in the dining room if you want to eat."

"Mmm. Tea would be wonderful." She slid off the side of the bed and walked up to give him a peck on the cheek before moving toward the loo. 

Severus reached out and grasped her wrist as she passed. "That's it? Just a peck on the cheek and off for food?"

Hermione blushed before replying. "I have morning breath. Let me freshen up and I'll say good morning properly, 'kay?"

He snorted, but released her wrist so she could scamper across the hall. "There's a mouth cleansing potion under the sink," he called as the door clicked shut. She's clearly the daughter of dentists, he mused while pulling on his socks. Grinning at the sound of running water and flushing toilet, he headed back downstairs to pour the tea. There was certainly something comforting about morning routines.

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Not much later, Hermione brushed croissant crumbs from her jumper and reached to top off her mug of tea. "So I was in the library yesterday reading up on memory charms."