Chocolate Enchantment

Chapter 22: Making Memories

Chapter 22: Making Memories

Hermione woke in her husband's arms to the sound of bird song. It took only a moment to determine Severus was already awake. As he didn't say anything, she decided to enjoy his embrace in the silence for another few minutes.

It never ceased to amaze her that being in this man's arms made her feel utterly safe, utterly cherished—even when he fought the enchantment on them both. She rubbed her cheek over his chest, loving the feel of the crisp hairs moving against her skin.

"Ready to face the day?" His voice was low, rough from sleep, and his chest rumbled beneath her fingertips.

"Not remotely, but I suppose we can't stay here forever."

"No matter how we might wish it." One of his arms swept possessively along her back, but he made no move to extricate himself.

Another long moment hummed between them before she spoke, "I was wondering—"

"Of course you were."

She pinched his chest lightly in rebuke. "You were creating your own spells from scratch when you were still a student, right?" She didn't wait for him to respond, as she already knew the answer. "How much theory did you have to study before you were able to do that? And do you still create your own spells?"

"A lot of the theory is not covered in the Hogwarts curriculum until seventh year. Even then they don't cover enough for really complex spells. I did most of my study on my own time during fifth year. And yes, I do occasionally create my own spells still. Is there something in particular you want to create? What you need may already exist."

Hermione bit her lip as she considered what she should tell him. She didn't want to cause any trouble for him, but there was no one else she knew who was so suited to her question. She didn't realize she had been stroking his chest with her fingertips until he put his hand over hers.

"You'd better stop that if you wish to continue this conversation," he warned.

"Oh, sorry." She paused to thread her fingers through his. "Well, suppose I wanted a spell that could use a blood bond, or rather, shared blood to transfer an emotion from one person to the next. Would something like that already exist? If not, what would it take to create one?" She figured he might guess where she was going with this, but she didn't say right out what her purpose was. She knew he wouldn't ask.

There was a long pause before he answered. "I doubt such a spell is in existence. After all, why would someone normally want to do that, especially as it's a rather unique set of circumstances? Something along that line might be possible. I'll have to consider it."

"One other spell I was thinking about was maybe finding a way to harness a specific emotion of those around them. To magnify it, then direct it. Specifically through the bond. But maybe that would be just one spell, not two." Hermione licked her lips, but as her cheek was pressed so closely on his chest, she caught the tangy, sweet, salty flavor of his skin on her tongue. She felt a slight peak in desire from both of them.

"I imagine it's a particular emotion you're seeking to magnify. Something very specific? Those are both going to be incredibly complex spells to create, but I think they're possible. I could play around with them for you, see if it's better to run them side by side or together as one. Should I focus on hate?"

Hermione wondered if he were playing devil's advocate or if he was thinking about Harry needing to hate Voldemort to cast the killing curse. She was unable to determine his emotional response to her question as he had begun stroking her back with his long, skilled fingers, which distracted her.