She Healed Me | Severus Snape

Chapter 32

So, my question at the end of last chapter was for a reason...things are going to get a little spicy soon. Or, in other words, we're one chapter away from you know what. 😉

Listen: It's Been A Long, Long Time by Harry James/ Helen Forrest

32| winding

The next day was Friday, much to Lucia's relief. Friday's were her days to catch up on grading and lesson planning before heading into the weekend. She didn't necessarily need to have it all done until Monday, but she always preferred to get her work done early. Plus it left her with time to truly relax like one is suppose to on weekends. She particularly looked forward to being with Severus that evening. They each had separate plans for tomorrow so they decided to use tonight as a way to unwind from the week. And with the way things have evolved between them recently, she anticipated a rather romantic evening.

But until then, she was spending her time in her classroom to organize. The bookcase to the side of the room was getting to the point of being messy. She didn't have an issue with her students perusing the collection of Ancient Runes related books there. That's why she had them. The complete lack of respect for the way she had them organized, however, got on her nerves. It was comforting to her that it at least gave her an excuse to give in to her insistent need to rearrange things.

Eventually that did get boring and Lucia decided to put aside everything related to her classes for the rest of the day. So she picked up her needed grading materials and closed up her classroom for the weekend. There was a certain sense of relief with being able to go back to her personal chambers at the end of the day. But she wasn't able to fully relax yet. As soon as she walked through the door she was faced with the reminder of the previous night. The letters were still on her desk in the neat pile Severus left them in.

This time she didn't feel anything when looking at them. But Lucia did know one thing; the letters needed to go. So she approached her desk and gathered up the pile to properly get rid of them. She went over to the fireplace and dumped the letters inside of it. Taking a breath of anticipation, she lit the fireplace and watched as each letter disintegrated into ash.

An overwhelming feeling of finality washed over Lucia as the letters slowly became nothing. She had already locked away the necklace from Andrew and wouldn't have to see it again. It felt oddly freeing for her to have taken that step. She was truly putting her former friendship behind herself and moving on. So with a renewed confidence, she put out the fire and decided to relax for a while before going to see Severus. She deserved time to pamper herself a bit, not to mention she wanted to be in the right mood for an intimate evening with the man she was seeing. So she drew herself a bath with her favorite lavender soap and lit a few small vanilla scented candles to destress.

Afterwards, Lucia wrapped herself in a her silk deep blue robe and indulged in a more extensive body care routine. She felt like a new woman once she was done. Next she pulled her hair from the knot she had it in while bathing and brushed out the messy curls into something more manageable. Checking the time, Lucia realized she would need to leave soon. She went to her bedroom and looked for something to wear. She didn't need anything too fancy, so she settled on a pair of denim trousers and a loose fitting black sweater. And within a few minutes she was heading out.

Upon reaching Severus's chambers door, Lucia knocked twice before entering. She let the door close behind her as she located Severus sitting on the sofa in front of the fireplace. Smiling to herself, Lucia went up behind him and leaned down to gently place her hands on his shoulders.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Lucia said lightly.

Severus chuckled softly and closed the book he had been holding. "Nothing too important."