𝑮𝑬𝑵𝑬𝑻𝑰𝑪 𝑶𝑩𝑺𝑬𝑺𝑺𝑰𝑶𝑵 || 𝗦𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟎𝟗.

Dinner was a quiet affair. Severus could tell that his companion was thinking furiously about something, so he didn't bother her with conversation. After dinner, they sat on the couch. She had pulled three books out of a disreputable-looking bag that had patches of beading here and there. She was flipping through them, muttering to herself. Severus tried not to smile. He admired her focus.

She brought the tea pot into the tiny sitting room. He normally preferred to relax with a fine glass of wine, but he didn't object to the fragrant blend of tea that she'd brought. She'd poured his cup without asking if he'd like one...he wasn't sure how he felt about that. It was so...considerate? Perhaps domestic was the better word for it. It was a bit unsettling for a man who had lived the better part of his life alone.

He tried to focus on his own book, but he found himself watching her instead. As the shadows lengthened, he flicked his wand and lit a fire in the fireplace. She finally looked up from her book, smiled triumphantly, and summoned three bits of string from the ever-present bag. With a flick of her wand and a non-verbal spell, she transfigured the string silver chains. Another flick and she added a small circular pendant to each one. Then, with a look of intense concentration, she added a final spell.

She beamed at the jewelry. She picked one up and handed it to Severus, who looked somewhat taken aback. "It has a protean charm on it. We'll be able to use them to communicate. I thought jewelry would be the easiest way..."

He nodded and fingered the pendant. It was about the size of the pad of his thumb, a tiny engraved scene of some sort. Four people in wizard's robes...four animals and a tree...ah-ha.

"Interesting. I've never seen this representation of the Hogwarts founders."

She was busily stuffing her things back into the little bag. "Oh, it's just a little scene I thought about when the sorting hat pointed out one year that originally, the founders formed Hogwarts because they were friends. They must have had days when they were like that...sitting under a tree and talking...being happy."

Severus nodded but he ran his thumb over the small pendant again. "Perhaps they did. I've never thought about it before."

She smiled absently and picked her pendant up and turned it around. "There's an area on the back where we can send messages...and we won't need a wand to activate the link between them if we're in trouble."

He moved behind her and pulled the chain from her fingers. "Move your hair and I'll help you with this."

She pulled her hair up, exposing her neck. He couldn't help that his mouth watered slightly at the sight. It was very tempting to press a warm kiss to her pulse point, but once his lips touched her, his teeth wouldn't be far behind. He connected the chain and dropped his hands.

He picked up his own pendant and used his long, clever fingers to attach the clasp. Jewelry was generally not high on his list of priorities when dressing, but he found that the pendant did not bother him. Of course, that might have something to do with the maker and purpose of the pendant.

She sighed and stretched out on the couch. He picked up her feet and sat down, repositioning them in his lap. It was perhaps the most intimate moment that they had ever had, but she didn't seem to mind. He curled one long hand around her ankle, as it was discreetly covered by her robes.

"I think I'll have a glass of wine..." He raised a brow in inquiry. "Can I tempt you?" She nodded even as she shivered slightly as his voice dipped down into the lower register. Nice to know the witch was not totally immune to him, even if it was just on an unconscious level.

He summoned two glasses and the bottle, uncorking the vintage with his wand. The business of pouring the wine kept his hands busy for a few moments, but then it was just the two of them...sitting on the smallish couch, with her feet in his lap, in front of a roaring fire. He had not planned a scene for seduction, but his Slytherin mind had to admit, if he had been planning, this scene might have been the end result.