Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Confinement	By : Lucreace Category: Harry Potter AU/AR > Het - Male/Female Views: 14059 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, I dont make money from this.

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
- 11
After the children had gone to bed that evening, she made two cups of tea and headed back into the east wing. She was unsure whether she would be welcome there but she had questions that needed answering and there was only one way she was going to get them. Hesitantly, she knocked on the wooden door and waited for an answer. It didn’t take long for it to open and she stepped in holding the brews in both hands. Severus was sat on the couch, looking up from a magazine he’d been reading. “I hope you don’t mind.” Hermione said softly. He shook his head and folded the magazine in half, gesturing at the space beside him. She handed him one of the mugs before sitting down with a nod.
                “I presume you are here for a reason,” he said as he wrapped long fingers around the mug.
                “I wanted to know your thoughts on what could be out there,” she said. There was no point making small talk, better to get right to the point.
                “Why else?” he asked raising an eyebrow.
                She cocked her head to one side and looked at him sidelong, “There is no other reason,” she replied. The glimmer of a smile crossed his usually stern features and he brushed his black hair back from his forehead. She swallowed hard at the gesture and looked down at her mug of tea. “Alright, maybe I’d like some adult company on the evenings and seeing how you are the only other adult I’m a bit stuck for choice,” she said. A trace of amusement flickered in his eyes and she realised what she’d just said and how it could be construed. “Not that it’s a bad thing, I like your company.”
                “Do you?”
                “Yes, I mean, you’re different from when I was in class and…” she trailed off when she realised what she was saying and a deep flush appeared on her cheeks and neck.
                “And what Hermione?” he said. His tone was deep, soft and delicious, melted chocolate on a warm day was barely a comparison. How had she never noticed the depth of it before?
                “You’re nowhere near as terrifying as before,” she finished. His satisfied expression was a little too close to infuriating but she kept her mouth closed, lest something else escape that she didn’t want him to hear.
                “Maybe I should work on that,” he spoke softly and she turned to look at him fully.
                “I don’t think you need to do that, the kids are still a bit scared of you.” She bit back a laugh and she saw a smile flicker onto his face for barely a moment.
            "You want to know my thoughts?" he said, changing the subject back to a safer area. She nodded and took a sip of tea. "This is an old house," he said slowly, "Unused to change and not willing to relinquish its hold on the past." Hermione nodded as he spoke, her mind cataloguing everything and seeing if there was anything she'd heard of that may fit into the descriptions they had.
"It's not the Death Eaters at all is it?" she said after a long moment.
"I've not ruled it out completely but I don't think so," he said. She leaned forward and picked up her mug of tea. Sipping it slowly she digested the new information.
"So what do you think?"
"I think there's something in the grounds of the house that is reacting to the turmoil that has been created recently," he said.
"You mean the children and me?"
"It's a distinct possibility but it's more likely to be the changes in the world as a whole. I do not know for sure, it's just a theory at the moment," he replied, putting his now empty mug on the table. "I doubt that you moving away would be a benefit now anyhow, what has been awoken is unlikely to go away." He added after she had frowned at him. She let out a little breath at his words, the thought of leaving and going elsewhere with the kids was just awful. Here, they knew they were safe, they knew their boundaries and what was expected of them. There was no way she wanted to go anywhere else, she was perfectly happy where she was.
When she looked up from her tea, she caught him looking at her askance, a strange expression on his face. Had he been reading her thoughts? It was about the children, not her growing attraction to him, nothing to do with that at all, "What?" she asked as she set aside her mug. He made a dismissive gesture and she shifted her weight, their legs now in contact once again. When he didn't pull away, she relaxed, forcing herself to clear her mind of these distracting thoughts.
"So what do you think it is then?" she asked as she turned around to face him properly. He shook his head.
"I can't be sure, not without more information," he said.
"Can I help you in any way?"
"Hermione, you have those children to educate and keep safe, you're evenings are supposed to spend marking and making sure you're ready for the next day. When would you have the time to help me?" He waved a hand when she opened her mouth to speak, "No, I know you'd find the time to assist me but I assure you, I can manage alone."
She nodded, respecting his wish to work on the project while she looked after her young charges, "You'll let me know if you find anything though right?"
"When I get something certain, I will, you have my word." He spoke solemnly and she had no trouble believing that he would do as he promised. She picked up her cup and looked into it, disappointed that it was empty. She'd said everything that she wanted to and they'd both drank their tea yet she found herself searching for reasons not to leave. They descended into silence, the lack of noise dragging between them like a gulf, wider than anything she had experienced before. When he coughed, she nearly jumped from her chair.
"I should be going…" she muttered when she recovered. He nodded. Picking up the cups, she lingered on the couch for a moment longer, reluctant to leave and yet not sure how to prolong the visit any further.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Nothing," she replied. Part of her hoped he would press the issue, make her stay and force her to tell him about the growing depths of her feelings, however she was due to be disappointed. He remained silent on the point. She rose then, not wanting to make it any more awkward than it already was. When she reached the door, she turned and asked, "Have the wards been set?"
"Of course," was his reply. He had already picked up the magazine and resumed his reading. With a sigh, she left the room. It didn't take long for her to get the cups into the kitchen and for her to settle in her own room. Sleep however, was a long time coming.
The following day began like any other. Breakfast was a noisy affair with the children chattering away to each other incessantly about anything but their work. Hermione greeted them all pleasantly but found their company lacking. It was funny how that had changed from when she had first met them. If nothing else, this experience would set her up for a career in teaching. She shuddered, unsure whether it was now something that she wanted to continue with. The monotony of it all had sunk in and she didn't know whether there was enough there to keep her occupied. Maybe a research position would be better suited for her.
She calmed her thoughts and started listening into what the children were actually saying. There was a discussion about the latest wizarding gadgets – In the last set of post, there had been some magazines and letters for the children as well as the latest lesson plans – and a rather passionate debate about wizarding chess between Jack and Corby. Nothing really outstanding and she was about to go back to munching on her toast when she overheard Sasha and Lara discussing something about hearing noises in the night. That may be interesting.
It didn't show on her face but she turned her ear a little to be able to hear the girls talking a bit better. Soon, it became apparent that they thought they had heard tapping at their bedroom window during the night. When they'd opened the curtains in the morning, there was nothing there, no tree close by to scratch the window. Nor were there any leaves at the sill or any marks to show that something had been there. The girls didn't look overly cared by it so Hermione left it at that. They came to their own conclusion; that it must have been a dream or maybe some animal bumping into it and the conversation changed towards a more mundane topic: boys.
Letting out a sigh, she placed her mug by the sink and left the kitchen, it wasn't much to go on, if anything at all but it may be something. What if the girls had heard something relevant? Severus had said himself that he thought it was something to do with the house. She wracked her brain as she made her way to the classroom. Everything was set up for the lesson on transfiguration but there was no harm in checking it over once more. Sinking into her chair, her thoughts turned once more to the mystery of what had attacked them.
She was still thinking about it when the children filed into the room. The lesson went as expected, most of the children understood what to do, those that didn't, did by the end of the session and they all had the afternoon to practice what they'd learned. After lunch, she sat in the study, looking through all the books there were to see if she could find anything that would be useful. She didn't even notice when Severus placed a cup of tea on the table in front of her. She did murmur a 'thank you' without looking up. His deep chuckle made her look up however and she gave him a guilty smile.
"I know what it is that we face," he said. Her eyes widened, her mouth opened in anticipation.
"What?" she asked. She knew her enthusiasm was showing through her eyes , "What is it?"
"Not here," he said with a shake of his head, "Come to the east wing, same time as last night and we'll discuss it there." With that, he turned on his heel and walked out the door, only pausing to remind her to bring tea and that there were some biscuits in the cupboard that she should bring too. A delighted smile crossed her face when she thought about his words and she shut the book on her lap. When she returned to the children, her whole demeanour had changed. The prospect of finding out some new information, and spending another evening with Severus, had brought a new spring to her step.
- 9
- 10
- 11
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Confinement