The Potion Master's Apprentice (A Severus Snape love story)

Chapter Thirty-Three

Chapter Thirty-Three

Florence awoke to hear the sound of gentle flurries of snow hitting the window pane. Pulling the heavily guilded velvet curtains aside she fumbled with the latch of the crumbling window and it creaked open slightly. A burst of icily fresh air pummelled her almost bare skin as she inhaled the scent of the countryside.

Beyond the courtyard beneath her, coated thickly in an icing of sparse snow, fields stretched and spread over the horizon and into the distance where they merged with the cloud laden sky. She could hear the crisp flakes settling and crinkling on the old layer of snow but otherwise it was unnusually silent. The eerie, but nonetheless soothing, moment of soundlessness was broken with the echoing call of an albino peacock that was pecking angrily at the frozen ground, trying to tempt a worm out from the warmth and comfort of the soil.

She was perched at the edge of a somewhat extravagant four poster bed that spiraled towards the ceiling, draped with tumbling curtains made of a delicate crimson material. Her hand was wrapped around one of the vertical beams as she leant her head against it, savouring the fresh air cooling her clammy face.

After hearing the rustling of bedsheets and the creaking of the springs, it was no surprise that the next thing she heard was Severus' silky voice in her ear and felt his arms slip around her waist, to rest on the prominent bump beneath her nightdress.

"Happy Christmas." He purred, planting small, tender kisses against the exposed flesh of her neck as she leant back into his warm embrace, revelling in his comforting scent that wafted over her in delicious waves.

"Happy Christmas." She replied, leaning up and pressing her lips against his shadowed jaw, rough with light stubble. She moved in for a deeper, more passionate kiss, but stopped when the door was flung open and a small boy tottered in,  messy blond hair pasted across his forehead as his pale face lit up.

"Ren!" He giggled as Florence scooped him up off the floor and pulled him onto the bed, ruffling his hair affectionately as his pale blue eyes swivelled from her to Severus.

"Morning Draco." Florence lifted her gaze from the small boy resting on her knees and instead looked to where Narcissa and Lucius stood in the doorway, arms wrapped around each other.

*~*~*~*

"What is it?" Florence asked excitedly as Narcissa handed her a delicately wrapped parcel, soft to the touch. She turned it over in her hands, fingers tracing the precise creases in the shimmering, green, foiled paper.

Severus shuffled closer to her on the chaise longue, thin spindly fingers caressing her hair as she nuzzled softly into his warm touch. His hands closed on top of hers and guided them to open the package, wrapping of which fell open in her lap to reveal a bundle of woolen material.

She laughed softly as she lifted two identical scarves from the paper, delicately stroking the green wall flecked with strands of silver thread. Pierced on the bottom of each scarf was a small emblem -  A coiled snake that seemed to writh and curl and squirm on the fabric.

"For your little snakes." Lucius said and Florence shot him a questioning look, Severus raising his eyebrow and smirking mischeviously at his friend. His arms were wrapped securly around Florence as she folded the scarves up and placed them gently back into her lap.

"Who says they're going to be snakes." She said quietly and Lucius laughed raucously.

"With two Slytherin parents, I'm sure they've inherited some cunning."

"They might have their father's brain for all you know." She said smugly as her fingers intertwined with Severus'. Incredibly flattered, he planted a soft kiss on her lips that she returned gladly.

"Do you know what they're going to be?" Narcissa asked, standing by the sparkling Christmas tree decorated with miles of glistening silver tinsel and real fairies that fluttered around the small boy fiddling greedily with the presents, face lit up with glee.

"A boy and a girl." Florence felt Severus shift in his seat and when she turned to look at him he was staring distractedly out of the window, watching the snow back dropped against the rapidly darkening sky.

"And have you chosen names yet?" Before Florence could even open her mouth, Severus had blurted out.

"Sophia." He seemed just as shocked as Florence did. She turned and looked ploringly at him before cracking into a broad grin. "My little Princess, Sophia." He said quietly and she placed her hands either side of his face, leaning in so that their noses were brushing and she could feel his warm breath on her cheek.

"Turning into a proper little father." She breathed as he laughed gently and kissed her fleetingly on the lips, pulling away slowly and looking at her gratified expression.

"Sophia?" Lucius repeated, clearly thinking something over before dismissing the thought with a small smile.

"My mother's middle name was Sophia." Severus moved around in the chair and pulled Florence against him, holding her tightly as Narcissa gave them a broad smile.

"Have you given Florence her present yet Severus?"

"Later." He replied softly as Florence closed her eyes and buried her head in his chest, trying to stop the wave of tiredness washing over her as she lapped up the warmth of the fire.

Lucius and Narcissa had taken Draco back to his room which left Florence and Severus alone. He heard her gentle, rhythmic breathing and realised that she was swiftly falling asleep. And to the sound of her lulling, hypnotic snores he remembered the Christmas before and that he had never dreamt that a year later he would be laying beside Florence, his wife, expecting not one but two children.

*~*~*~*
Florence yet again woke up to the sound of snow hitting the glass, but this time it sounded heavier, like the pounding of little tiny drums.

"I reckon it'll be a few days before the snow stops falling." Severus muttered from his place beside her. He had heard her stirring and knew that now was the appropriate time.

It was currently a few minutes to midnight and mingled amongst the pattering of snow was the distant hooting of an owl as it soared and hunted through the night. Florence snuggled closer to him, hand resting on his bare chest as she burrowed her head into his neck.

"I don't mind. I like the snow." She responded and Severus laughed at the innocence of the statement. 

"Florence..." He began, reaching over to grab something from the pocket of the trousers he had flung beside their bed. "I had wanted to give this to you sooner... but I had to make sure that I had chosen the right one."

Severus handed her a small black box, plain apart from a small strip of silver that ran all the way around the middle. She gave him a strange look and popped the box open to reveal an inside of delicate black velvet.

Resting in the middle was a band of pure silver. Two swirling, sloping names were entangled in the centre and spiralled away from each other, occasionally picking up the light of the candles. Small, glittering emeralds were embedded around the names and as Severus grasped her hand she couldn't help but brush them gently with her finger.

"Let me put it on." He said as he held her hand in his and slid the ring carefully onto her finger, slotting in above her wedding ring. "I never got you an engagement ring... and I thought that maybe you'd like this one. I mean, if you don't like it then I could always take it back-" Florence silenced him by engaging him in a passionate bout of kissing.

"I love it Severus, just as I love you." She breathed and laughed softly as his lips grazed the tender skin of her chest.

"I love you too." He replied.