"Ancient Runes" a Severus Snape ff - Snape x OC

Chapter 44

After dinner, Lysanna set off for her office. She still needed to prepare her lessons for the coming days and, having spent the entire afternoon with Minerva, she had some work to catch up on. It was shaping up to be another late night, and she was already feeling tired. Fortunately, Lysanna had kept her notes from the previous year and could at least partially fall back on them. Several hours must have passed when Lysanna was interrupted in her work by a knock. She was almost finished, anyway.

"Come in!" she called, already having a faint idea who it might be.
"Don't you think you've worked enough?" Severus inquired, and Lysanna couldn't miss the almost concerned undertone in his voice.
"What time is it? I may have lost track of time," she replied with an apologetic smile.
"I've just finished my rounds and happened to notice that your office was still lit up. It's nearly midnight," Severus stated, approaching her desk slowly. Lysanna had indeed lost track of time; she was more than surprised when she glanced at the clock.
"So you happened to notice that my office was still lit up, and you thought you'd just happen to knock on the door to possibly find out if there were any students loitering in my office?" Lysanna asked with a grin, hoping to goad the potions master a little.
"No. I actually knocked because I wanted to see you. If I had actually suspected students in your office, I certainly wouldn't have asked to come in, but surely you knew that," Severus replied calmly. His direct response took Lysanna by surprise, and she felt her heart race at his words.
"You wanted to talk to me, or have you forgotten?" Severus added reproachfully, his lips curling into a superior smirk. In those moments, she could understand why some students were afraid of Severus. His tone alone, or just a single, brief glance, could convey more contempt than many could put into words. Of course, Lysanna understood the undertone in his voice and knew that he didn't mean it as nastily as he'd said it. Quickly, she pushed her papers aside. Lysanna hadn't forgotten outright, but she did feel a little ashamed that she'd simply lost track of time.
"I'm sorry, I certainly haven't forgotten you. How could I?" she replied with a challenging grin. "My place or yours?" she added almost in a whisper, with a seductive look, catching a fleeting, almost startled expression in Severus' eyes. He wanted to play games? She was more than happy to oblige...

A short while later, Lysanna closed the door to her chambers behind her. The route to her office was simply shorter, and after Severus hadn't answered her question, she'd made the decision herself. Had she really thrown him off with that little question? "I don't know where this is going to lead, if we sit here every night drinking wine, but there's still some left from yesterday in the bottle," Lysanna suggested with a grin. "Where it leads remains to be seen, doesn't it?" Severus replied calmly, approaching Lysanna from behind to gently take the wine bottle from her. Severus was standing directly behind her, mere inches separating them. Lysanna's heart began to race as his hands removed the bottle from hers and she felt the warmth of his body against her back. She hadn't expected his rather ambiguous answer either. "I'll do that," he whispered in her ear, but made no move to release Lysanna from her position. Cornered between the dresser and Severus, she had no choice but to watch silently as he poured the wine into the two glasses in front of her and enjoyed the closeness. She could feel his warm breath on her cheek, a pleasant shiver running down her body as Severus poured the wine much more slowly than was actually necessary. Their bodies touched again and again, and where there had been space between him and Lysanna's back a moment ago, you couldn't have slipped even a sheet of parchment between them now. The tension between them was palpable. It was almost absurd how distant they were from each other outside these private chambers, but as soon as the door shut behind them, there was no trace of that distance left.

"Honestly, Lysanna, I don't like this thing with Lupin," Severus stated, once they had sat down and he'd managed to put some distance between them. Even though he had been the one to seek out the closeness, he was still surprised at how readily Lysanna allowed him to. He had to admit that this thought pleased him immensely. Inevitably, he saw her again in front of him, or rather, beneath him, on the very sofa where they were now sitting. Concentrate, Severus!
"You really don't need to worry. I'll take care of myself," Lysanna reiterated.
"I don't think you quite understand what I mean. I know you can look after yourself, but it's still dangerous and besides..." Severus began, but stopped mid-sentence. He couldn't exactly tell her that he simply didn't like the idea of Remus and her being so familiar. That the thought filled him with jealousy. He strained to think of a suitable ending to his sentence, which he'd unfortunately already started.
"Besides what?" Lysanna asked with a smile. What was he supposed to say to her now? This wasn't exactly the right time to confess his feelings. Things were good as they were. Severus just needed more time to allow himself to fully embrace his feelings. Lysanna had only been back for two days, and it was more than obvious that she returned his feelings and, apparently, his desire... restrain yourself! ... but this time he didn't want to rush anything. He enjoyed her closeness and affection, he had even gotten used to the tentative touches and could now fully enjoy them, but he simply wasn't ready for more at the moment. The thought of the previous night excited him, but he was glad he hadn't simply given in to that desire. It would only have complicated things unnecessarily. Surprisingly, Lysanna didn't seem to be pushing him for anything. That gave him reassurance; she seemed to understand how difficult it was for him after he had opened up to her. If a woman could be perfect, then it was definitely Lysanna.
"Severus, there's no reason for you to worry. Remus and I are just acquaintances, nothing more. I've managed to put myself in his situation before, and it helps him when he doesn't have to go through these transformations alone. I just don't want him to suffer unnecessarily, and I assure you that's the only reason I agreed to Albus's suggestion. I came back not least because of you, you should know that..." Lysanna continued soothingly. Her sparkling blue eyes looked directly at him, her face adorned with a beautiful smile, and Severus couldn't describe how relieved he was at her words. He trusted Lysanna, but it was Lupin he didn't trust.
"Just take care of yourself," he replied softly and pulled Lysanna towards him. He wanted to feel her near him, wanted to show her how much she meant to him, even if he couldn't put it into words.
"I promise," Lysanna replied, smiling and snuggling up to him. And for a long time, they just sat there like this.