Marriage Law

CHAPTER 20

CHAPTER 20

Chapter 20 ~ The Unveiling

Around suppertime, Severus walked slowly and painfully into his study and stopped as his black eyes fell on the huge, decorated Christmas tree glistening brightly in the middle of the room. He looked toward the hearth and saw the garlands, bows and golden bells strung across it. He watched the bells closely. They didn’t ring like such bothersome things usually did. Good thing too.

Obviously, Hermione felt the need to bring Christmas to the dungeons. Personally he didn’t care for the holidays. To him, it was just an exercise in greed, everyone coveting gifts they didn’t deserve and stuffing themselves almost to exploding, reveling in excess. Severus spent his holidays in the dungeons for the most part, though usually coerced by Albus to attend at least one planned festivity.

He decided to let Hermione have her fun, and walked slowly to the armchair and sat down in front of the festive fireplace. Actually, the garlands didn’t look too bad, and he did like the smell of pine. Suddenly, the fireplace flames turned green and Hermione stepped through, wearing a ridiculous Father Christmas hat.

She smiled at him.

“How do you like the decorations?” Hermione asked him, looking around the study with satisfaction. Severus looked at her evenly.

“I find them decorative,” he replied.

That was a nice bland answer. It ought to satisfy her. Hermione sat down in the armchair next to him. The Potions Master’s eyes swept over her Christmassy sweater. No matter what the witch wore now, her curves were irrepressible. He decided he liked her new manner of dress to the t-shirts and jeans she used to wear.

“Did you have a productive day in the labs?” she asked him, curious as to what his special project was.

“I believe so. I won’t know until later,” he said obliquely.

Hermione figured he was doing some kind of timed experiment, so didn’t question him further about it. She noticed he was sitting slightly bent in the armchair. Her brow wrinkled.

“Severus, are you in pain?” she asked him.

He scowled at her.

“What do you think?” he said snarkily.

“I was just asking,” Hermione replied, scowling back at him. “Are you hungry?”

“Actually, I’m famished. I think I’d like steak tonight. A porterhouse, rare. With potatoes and sweet peas. And some dark ale. Guiness,” he said.

Hermione looked at him, her eyebrows lifted.

“Wow. That’s a lot of food, Severus. Why the big appetite?” she asked him.

“I’m feeling a bit peaked. I need energy,” he replied, “Protein. Starch.”

Hermione stood up.

“All right. I don’t have any of that here, so I’ll order it from the kitchens. I’m not that hungry. I’m just going to have a chef’s salad I think,” she said, walking towards her rooms and opening the door. She walked through.

Severus adjusted himself in the chair. After about ten minutes, Hermione returned from to the study and walked over to her husband.

“The food’s here, Severus,” she said, “Come on, let me help you up.”

Hermione leaned down and caught his arm gently, helping him rise from the chair, noticing him wincing. She sighed inwardly. It seemed like it was going to take forever for him to heal up to the point they could finally be intimate. She slipped under his arm, and put her arm around his waist. It was so taut. She could feel his strong muscles beneath the bandages wrapped around his middle. She thought about how they would flex under her hand when they…

She felt a pulse of heat and let out a little sigh. Severus looked down at her.

“Are you all right?” he asked her as they walked toward her rooms and the kitchen. She looked up at him and he saw the heat in her eyes. The young witch was so ready.

“Yes, I’m fine,” she said quietly.

They walked through the doors and into the kitchen. Hermione had set the table, and Severus’ ample supper was waiting for him. It smelled wonderful. He lowered himself into the chair and waited for Hermione to take her seat before diving into his food with gusto. Hermione watched him eat as she picked at her salad. He had such a hunger. His eyes were half-lidded with pleasure as he chewed his steak. She wondered if they went half-lidded when he was fucking. Suddenly Severus looked up at her.

“I sense you are thinking impure thoughts again, Hermione,” he said silkily.

Hermione gave him a small smile, blushing prettily.

“Not really impure thoughts…more like curious ones,” she responded, aware that desire for the Potions Master was rising up in her. His black eyes looked across the table at her. His expression was unreadable for a moment.

“Tell me what you’re curious about,” he said, his voice low and compelling. “I hope it’s tantalizing.”

Hermione hesitated, then decided to tell him.

“I was wondering what you looked like when you’re having sex,” she said, dropping her eyes at the heat in his.

“I’m afraid that’s something I can’t tell you, Hermione. I can’t see myself when I’m fucking. And to be honest, even if I could, I would be too busy concentrating on you to look. I’m afraid the only way to answer that question would be to show you,” he said silkily.

Hermione enjoyed the sensations rushing through her body at his words. She returned to eating her salad. He continued to look at her.

Then he asked, “Hermione, if I were well, would you want to wait to be deflowered?”

Hermione looked at the Potions Master, her amber eyes sweeping over him, remembering what he’d done to her the night before, how his eyes blazed down at her while he moved her toward her climax. She remembered how hungry she was for more contact with him. How her whole body was on fire, burning for him to do more than he was doing.

“If you kissed me like you did last night, I don’t think I would be able to wait,” she said honestly, her eyes glistening at him. The Potions Master felt a throb in his loins and his dark eyes flashed at her.

Then he finished his meal.

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After dinner, they returned to the study. Severus sat in the armchair and listened to Hermione read a few articles out loud from his Potions Today magazine. Then they had a lively debate about them, with Hermione leaping up from her chair and pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace, gesticulating, the ridiculous hat flopping back and forth on her head as she stormed in front of the amused Potions Master. She really was magnificent when she was passionate about something, be it a thought or a cause. The Potions Master eyes went hooded for a moment. She would be magnificent when he finally took her.

Severus yawned. Hermione stopped pacing and looked at the time. It was after nine. She looked at her husband.

“Severus, it’s time for bed,” she said, feeling warmth creep over her. She hoped she could convince him to kiss her again tonight. Maybe touch her like he did the night before.

The Potions Master blinked at her, his eyes wet from the intensity of his yawn. He too looked at the clock.

“Yes, I suppose it is,” he said, leaning forward and wincing. Hermione helped him up.

“Severus, I’ll be glad when you’re fully recovered,” she said wistfully as they walked toward the bedroom.

“Will you?” he asked, looking down at her. “And why is that, wife?”

Hermione blushed, “You know why, Severus.”

His voice dropped low as they entered the bedroom.

“Yes, I do know why, Hermione, but I find it very arousing to hear you tell me why. It is a heady thing to be wanted by such a beautiful, young witch. Particularly when the witch is still innocent. Now, tell me why you’ll be glad when I’ve recovered.”

“Because,” she said, releasing him and starting to unfasten his robes for bed, “when you are recovered you’ll be able to show me how good you can make me feel.”

Severus looked down at her as she finished unfastening his robes. He let her slip them off his shoulders, and watched as she laid them across the chair against the far wall. She returned and started on his shirt, unfastening his cuffs and then going to his buttons. He noticed her eyes locking to his chest as she opened button after button. Severus could tell she wanted to touch him. She pulled his shirt out of his pants and again slipped it off of him, draping it over her arm.
Hermione’s eyes swept over the bandages wrapped around his middle, and she let out a little wistful sigh.

Severus swallowed a bit as he watched her kneel in front of him, removing first his shoes then his socks. She rose and started unfastening his pants. She wasn’t being sexual, but Severus was very turned on and bit his lip as his cock began to swell as her small hands worked on him. She pulled them open and slid down drawing them down his legs. He rested a hand on her shoulder as he stepped out of them. Hermione rose, not able to help noticing the tent in his boxers that was growing bigger.

She looked up at him and said in a rather hoarse voice, “There, you’re all ready for bed.” Then she walked over to the chair and put the rest of his clothes on it for the house elves to take later on. She turned back to him.

“I’m going to change, and I’ll be right back,” she said starting for the door. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Severus was holding her back.

“You won’t need your nightgown tonight, Hermione,” he said softly.

She turned to him, and the look in his eyes made her stomach drop to her knees. She watched as the Potions Master unwound the bandages from his midsection and let them drop to the floor, revealing his muscular abdomen. There was no bruising. Reflexively, Hermione brought her fingers to his skin, and ran the tips of them over his ridges. Severus sucked in his breath at the light contact.

“How?” she asked him, still staring at his healed body.

“Amplification. I used your logic to figure out what I would need to create a potion that would speed up the effect of time on my body. It was a combination of aging and healing potions. My body’s healing properties were advanced two weeks, the amount of time it would have taken me to heal naturally,” he said, his dark eyes fixed on her.

“Brilliant,” she whispered looking up at him.

“Yes,” Severus replied, pulling her against him and lowering his head to kiss her.