Always For You. [Snape Romance] [Harry Potter]

Arc 3: Enraptured Revelation: Chapter 1: Far From Me

Arc 3: Enraptured Revelation
Chapter 1: Far From Me, I Found It

Summertime

The erasure of Ruberion Hollander bestowed peace to Hogwarts once more. Despite how many distractions there were, every student due to sit their OWLs and NEWTs did so without fail. Well, it would be without fail... minus the one unfortunate encounter with a stinkbomb that exploded in the Great Hall and everyone had to be evacuated. I had never smelt such a revolting smell before... it offended all of my senses. 

During the whole ordeal, I did think of Jessica Marin. If she were still alive, she would have been sitting there, surely scribbling her quill away after she memorised every textbook available. Would Genny Roberts have figured out a way to take NEWT-level Potions? I wish I had the answer to that...

However, as everything must come to an end, at the end of June, the Hogwarts Express took all students back to London for the summer holidays. It was then that I realised I had to face a difficult reality I had set myself into:

I had never moved out of my father's house.

All my belongings were still there. We hadn't spoken to each other since our fight at the Ministry and I certainly did not want to do so with bad feelings having time to linger in the summer heat. Plus, with no longer making a large living, it would be impractical for me to buy my own house. There was only one reasonable solution: to live with Severus.

Funnily enough, it was Severus himself who suggested the idea. I think after our confession and the events of Ruberion, he didn't want me to be anywhere out of his sight. It was comforting how much he cared. He did always give me my freedom and privacy when it was necessary so it wasn't intimidating in the slightest.

The Snape family home was settled in a town named Cokeworth, specifically on the street named Spinner's End. Every house looks virtually the same with a dilapidated and negligent outside. Many of the homes were deserted with broken windows and several of the streetlamps were broken. Not to mention the river nearby was stained an unpleasant brown. Going from the Fudge house to this made me uneasy, to say the least. 

Severus's own house left a lot to be desired. Like many of the other homes, it was small in size despite being two storeys high. The main room consisted of a small sitting area, barely big enough to host a party of a few people. Every wall was decorated with book after book and only a small sofa, armchair and table sat there. Dust coated every surface which was understandable considering he only lived here during the summer. 

To the back of the room sat an open kitchen. Only one person could be in there at the time lest the second person is directly next to the first. The bedroom, to which the door was essentially hidden behind one of the bookcases, was petit in size too. There was barely enough room for the bed itself and Severus's normal items. 

When I first saw the sight, I was certain I was going to go insane. There was absolutely no chance that I was going to be comfortable here. The outdoors was dangerous, the indoors was suffocating and yet... it somehow began to feel like home with Severus there. 

Despite my initial apprehensiveness, every day managed to be different and I give credit to Severus for that. He must have recognised my anxiety and hesitation and decided to do all he could to accommodate for that. We would often go out for walks to the nicer areas of Cokeworth and apparate to London for travels. Our shopping trips were a pleasure too. Oftentimes, we would pick out a book to read and spend the nights by the fireplace together reading. 

Plus, with having to replace my belongings, Severus gave me free rein to personalise and replace some items and furniture. He wasn't very interested in keeping much of it; considering he was only here for a few months a year, it was no surprise. After a few weeks, the house was free of built-up dust and cobwebs and much of the furniture that was falling apart was changed with new and more modern pieces. It finally became a place of comfort and solace.