The snake and the lion (Severus x OC)

15- Benson Hill

She was waiting, wrapped in her red coat and protecting herself from the rain with an umbrella. In her bag she carried enough clothes for a couple of days, and she hugged it to prevent it from getting wet. Saint Anne's Park was deserted because of the rain, but she continued waiting, not caring about the cold and humidity.

In the distance, she saw the man in black approaching her in the rain, with nothing to cover himself, and she ran towards him to cover him with the umbrella. Severus smiled gratefully, and brushed his wet hair out of his face, in a gesture that Rose really liked.

"I hope I haven't kept you waiting for too long," he apologized.

"Don't worry, I just got here," Rose smiled. "Should we go?"

He nodded and walked alongside her to leave the park. Once on the street, Rose walked without hesitation towards a bright red car and unlocked it with a remote control.

"Come on, go in," she said to Severus, smiling at his stupor, and turned around to enter through the other door.

"What's this?" he asked, when they were both inside the car.

"I always wanted to have one," Rose explained with a smile. "So I treated myself with my father's money."

"I didn't know you liked these muggle things."

"Are you kidding? I love them," Rose turned on the heating and the radio. "The first thing I did when I left Hogwarts was get my driving license."

"It's incredible," Severus looked around, amazed and Rose laughed at his expression. "Although it's not very discreet. If someone wanted to follow you, it would be very easy for them," he observed.

"I can change its appearance with a spell. Put on your seatbelt."

"What?"

"Seatbelt. It's the black ribbon you have next to you," Rose had to help him put it on before starting the car.

"Where are we going?" Severus gripped unconsciously to the armrest.

"To Benson Hill."

***

The car moved across the deserted road, still wet after the storm. Music played softly through the speakers.

"I think you will like Benson Hill; I had to renovate it from top to bottom, but now it is a beautiful house," Rose commented, while driving.

"I thought you lived in London."

"I bought an apartment there, to be closer to work, but Benson Hill has been my family's home for centuries, and I inherited it from my father," Rose explained. "It is very useful, because it's far from the rest of the world, and is protected by hundreds of spells and shields, placed by each generation. I come here whenever I want to be alone."

"And what have you added to it?" Severus asked, curious.

"I can't tell you," she winked at him. "You can only know that no wizard, squib or muggle can approach Benson Hill unless they are in this car, which of course, I must drive myself," she explained, "and don't even think about trying to use floo powder or apparition, because they don't work either."

"Amazing," Severus admitted.

"Right?" she smiled. "But there is a catch: when I die, the spells I placed will disappear. I was never able to find out how my ancestors kept their shields standing after their death."

Severus looked thoughtfully out the window, staring at the cloudy sky.

"Maybe it's for the best. It wouldn't be very useful for your descendants if you had to drive the car every time they wanted to get in," he commented and Rose gave a small smile.