Mended

Thirty-Four

Severus' nose trails down the sensitive part of her neck; the moan this elicited from her was beyond words. The way her skin prickled with anticipation each time she felt his lips move against her shoulder blades, or his fingers trail down her spine made his mouth water.

She is a Goddess.

He will worship her until his dying breath.

Her fingers tighten in the pillowcase above her head, her hips press firmly against his own, greedy for the love he is giving her. She is ever so smug with her advancements, so eager to pleasure him. He slows down so painstakingly slow to feel her release as it ripples and courses through her body, leaving him to chase his own just as her pleasure has run its course.

Severus buries his nose in the crook of her neck and breathes in the intoxicating scent of her flesh. It mattered not how many times he found himself inside of her, each and every time was better than the last. Every time made him hunger for the next. She made him weak in the knees with nothing more than a grin, and the way her eyes sparkled when they turned up towards him had his heart fluttering. Should men approaching fifty still feel such a pubescent desire? Should he not be experiencing adverse manifestations of his age?

Though he would rather overlook the fact that he had, in fact, lie with another in the past, it did not give him the same sense of ecstasy as he experienced each time he had ever been with his wife. Surly, no other man had ever experienced the sheer tranquility and satisfaction that washed over him. It must be an anomaly; an exception which pertains only to him.

She felt it, too; she had to. The way her body molded perfectly with his, the way her skin came to life with only a finger trailed down her spine. The sounds he could elicit from her throat with his tongue. Yes, she felt the hunger as well. She permitted him, him of all people, to continue to devour her; to worship her. What she saw in him was unknown, but goddamn was he forever grateful.

"Severus." Danu hisses as he rolls off of her back and pulls her against his side. "I love you."

"And I, you." Severus murmurs against her hair as she nuzzles her head against his chest and wraps her arms around him.

It felt as though it had been ages since he had been inside of her, and truly, it had been. She had not let him enter her since Josephine was born, and she was but one month away from her first birthday. Though she had helped him find release using her hands, and often times her mouth, it was not the same as being buried inside of her. It was only after he had sworn to her that he would do everything within his power to prevent her from falling pregnant once more that she finally relented and allowed him to have her.

In truth, he had scoured the Eastern globe in search of a remedy. Finally, with Gaultier and Miss Fischer's assistance, they were able to concoct a recipe including stoneseed root Gaultier had acquired from the America's, thistle, and ginger to inhibit ovulation for upwards of six months with but one dose. The potion was now in its trial phase, and with any luck, will be their next best seller.

The two lie in a tight embrace, the only sound around them is the periodic tick as ice pings against the frosted window. It had a been a brutal winter thus far with no end in sight. They should get up soon, they each know it, yet the warmth and comfort of one another's skin kept them grounded to the bed.

Elspeth's second birthday party would take place in only a few short hours. The child had turned two four days prior, yet Danu had insisted that the party be today so as to accommodate their extended family and friends' schedules. They had a small dinner and a cake for her on her actual birthday, including a phone call from Rose and her family, and Molly and Arthur Weasley stopped by early that afternoon to shower her in hugs and kisses. Lorna had even gone as far as wishing her sister a happy birthday, choosing to omit the hugs and kisses herself.