Welcome one and all! So here it is, quicker than even I imagined, story two in the Minerva/Severus series. How exciting! Well I'm excited, I hope you are too :)

So I know a few of you were asking me to include a summer chapter in the previous story but when I began that one, I had always planned on the first chapter starting with Severus returning to the castle and the very last chapter finishing with Severus leaving it and reflecting on what had happened. To me it felt like a good place to end. Now, I've actually had this chapter written as a draft for years and I knew I wanted to start this story with a day during the summer holidays. So I hope that those who wanted to see it at the end of First Cut, will be happy to see it here.

If you're continuing this after reading the first instalment then thank you for coming along for the ride! If you're new, you may want to read The First Cut is the Deepest first so that this one makes more sense.

Anyway, enough blabbering and on with the story! xxx

Chapter 01

Severus walked up his street, a shopping bag in each hand. The kids playing curby on the quiet road quickly skirted around him and clutched at their football to protect it. They had learned over the years that when their ball crossed his path, it mysteriously vanished or it suddenly ruptured. He smirked, feeling rather smug with himself.

"Good evening Severus," a voice suddenly distracted him. He let out an impatient sigh.

"Hello Mrs Blythe," he nodded to the short round woman as he passed her garden.

"We haven't seen you around here much," she said to him with a kindly smile.

Severus stopped walking and turned to the woman. She'd been the only person in their neighbourhood who had looked out for him as a kid. She had been one of the very few friends his mother had had and when she died, she would make sure that he had at least one good meal a day, especially when his father went off on another one of his drinking binges. "I have a new job," he said after a moment.

Mrs Blythe smiled. "How wonderful," she said, stuffing her hands into the front of her apron. Mrs Blythe was probably in her 50's but she seemed much older than that. Her hair was almost all grey and tightly curled in a short perm. Her round cheeks always seemed to be flushed and she was perpetually cheerful. It was tiresome. "What you doing then?" She asked in a deep rich Northern accent that had never mellowed.

"Teaching," he said.

"Oh!" She smiled and Severus did well to with hold a groan. "Our Sandra's kids need help with their maths. They're coming here for a few weeks, maybe you could tutor them?"

Severus clenched his fists and took a deep breath, trying to prevent himself from saying something he shouldn't. "I wouldn't be much help," he said. "I teach a type of chemistry at a boarding school, it's a different syllabus."

"Oh well," she continued to smile at him. "A boarding school, eh? Sounds posh. Is it near here?"

"Scotland."

"Didn't you go to one up there?" She asked and he nodded. "Is it the same one?"

"Yes," he said hoping that if he said as little as possible the conversation would be over soon.

"That's nice," she said happily. "Must be lovely seeing your teachers again."

"I should get going Mrs Blythe," he said, turning to leave.

"Oh yes," she said. "Severus?" He turned to look at her. "A lady asked where your home was a few moments ago, I bet she's waiting outside your house for you."

"A lady?" Severus asked. Who on earth would call on him?

"Pretty thing she is," she said, winking at him. "Lovely deep voice, very charming."

Severus felt his body tense. He asked her not to come, surely she hadn't... "Black hair?" He asked through clenched teeth.

"Yes," she beamed. "I hope we see her around here again."

Severus turned on his heel without another word and marched toward his house. He asked her not to come, why was she here? As he approached his home, he could see her sitting on the wall of his garden. She was chatting to the two woman that lived in the houses on either side of him. Nosey things they were. Despite having a horde of children between them, they never seemed to be doing anything other than drinking tea outside their houses and gossiping. It seemed they had dragged Minerva into it too.

"What are you doing here?" He barked as soon as he was close enough for her to hear him without shouting. He noticed the way his neighbours, Tracey and Linda, smirked at each other. They watched them curiously.

"Hello to you too," Minerva smiled. The sound of her voice made his heart jump but his anger overrode any other emotion he might have felt at seeing her.

"What are you doing here?" He asked again, shooting his neighbours a dirty look. He watched Minerva hand her cup back to Tracey and she smiled at both women.

"It's been lovely to meet you both," she said.

"You too," the women said as they retreated into Linda's garden to continue to watch the show from afar.

"I asked you not to come," he said quietly. "Why are you here?"

Minerva narrowed her eyes at him. "I had no choice," she slipped off the wall and stood in front of him. For the first time Severus got a good look at what she was wearing. A pair of fitted jeans that flared slightly at her knees showed off the curve of her hips. Her fitted white shirt showed off just enough cleavage to distract him and over it she wore a worn and faded brown leather jacket. He knew he was staring but he didn't care. He was enjoying what the view was doing to his body. "If you're quite done staring," she said, jarring him from his thoughts. "Perhaps we can go inside and talk?"

Severus narrowed his own eyes at her, the good feeling in his body replaced by anger again. "I asked you not to come," he repeated.

"And I wouldn't have come if you had replied to my letter," she crossed her arms over her chest and he couldn't help but notice the way it pushed up her breasts, showing him even more of her cleavage. He quickly lifted his eyes to her face. She had written to him twice over the summer but he hadn't opened either of them. The truth was, over the past four weeks he had missed her. More than he felt comfortable with. He had been worried that had he read her letters, he would have given in and paid her a visit. He wasn't entirely sure why he was actually so against it.

"I haven't opened them," he admitted. As soon as he spoke, Minerva released a sigh of relief and smiled at him. "What?" He asked.

Minerva laughed and the sound was blissful on his ears. "The first letter was a personal letter," she explained. "I'm not upset that you didn't reply. I assumed you wanted to be undisturbed during the holidays so I didn't write again. It was the second letter that had me concerned."

"What was it?" He asked curiously.

"Your contract," she smirked. "I asked that you return it to me last week. I worried that you had been serious at the end of term when you said that you might not come back."

Severus silently berated himself. "I'm sorry," he mumbled.

Minerva waved off his apology. "No need," she said. "You can sign it now and I'll return to the school."

Severus nodded but he made no move to do as she suggested. He found that with his anger abated, he couldn't stop staring at her. "How are you?" He asked.

Minerva rolled her eyes. "So now that you've established that my reason for being here is your own error; we're exchanging pleasantries?"

He narrowed his eyes at her again. "I'd almost forgotten how difficult you can be."

She smirked and took a step toward him. "But you've missed me," she said, biting her bottom lip causing his eyes to drift there. He felt the sudden urge to kiss her.

"I have," he said quietly and he could tell from the look on her face that he had surprised her. Truth be told, he'd surprised himself too.

"Oh," she said, taking a moment to recover. "You certainly have an interesting way of showing it."

He scoffed and looked down at his feet. "I'm quick to anger," he said, lifting his eyes back to her. "You should know that by now."

"I do," she said with a soft laugh.

Severus put his shopping bags on the wall and closed the gap between them. His hands were in her hair as his lips hungrily sought hers. Her hands gripped his waist as she sank into him and moaned against his mouth. The sound shot straight to his groin and he pulled away quickly.

"You're a confusing man, Severus Snape," she said, her arms snaking around his back. Severus brought his own arms around her.

"Must you leave soon?" He asked, ignoring her statement.

"I would think you would prefer me to," she smirked.

"I think I would like you to stay," he said, once again surprising them both. He wasn't sure if it was his mind or his body speaking but all he knew was that now she was here, he wanted her to stay.

"We've been invited to a street party," she said after a moment.

At that, Severus remembered where they were. He glanced over Minerva's shoulder to see that a small group had gathered with Tracey and Linda, including Mrs Blythe. He narrowed his eyes at them all. "Let's go inside," he dropped his arms and stepped away from her.

"If you wish me to stay," she said, stepping in his way to prevent him from escaping to his house. "Then I would like to attend the street party."

Severus glared at her. "No."

"Then I won't be staying," there was a challenging look in her eyes.

He wanted to tell her to leave, to send her away but she knew as well as he did that he wouldn't. Damn her! "One hour," he said through gritted teeth. At least he got a smile from her. As he led the way to his front door, Minerva spoke to the group of women.

"I hope apple pie will be a suitable addition," she said and the women all agreed, expressing their delight that they would be attending.

Severus opened his front door and held it open for Minerva to step through before slamming it shut, putting an end to his neighbours staring. "They're going to be insufferable for the rest of the summer," he shot at her as he walked to the kitchen. He could hear her following along behind him.

"This is the house you grew up in?" she asked. Severus looked over at her; she was leaning against the sink and looking out of the window into the concrete yard at the back of his home.

"Yes," he began to unpack his shopping. "A council estate is a far cry from Lailoken." It was unfair of him to make such a comment to her, he knew it as soon as the words were out of his mouth. He knew she wasn't judging him, she never would. Yet he couldn't help the shame he felt at his childhood home. It was as sparse as his quarters at Hogwarts. No pictures or any signs of personal belongings except the books on his small bookcase in his study which had once been the dining room. It didn't feel like a home, it didn't even feel like anyone lived there. Minerva had remained quiet the whole time, perhaps knowing that he hadn't meant what he'd said.

"May I use your oven?" She asked, turning to look at him. He nodded and she summoned Teensy, asking her to bring all the equipment and ingredients she needed for the pie. If the elf found it odd that her mistress was cooking in his home, she gave no sign of it.

Severus sat at the kitchen table and watched her work. She made the pastry from scratch and he watched with interest as she added a dash of vanilla to the dough. She gave him the kneaded dough to roll out while she prepared the filing, stepping in to help him lift it into the pie tray. They had worked mostly in silence and it made him realise just how much he had missed her. He would admit it to no one but himself that he had thought about her often but in the past week he had almost convinced himself that he didn't need her company. He realised at that moment that he had only been lying to himself.

While Minerva placed the pie in the oven, Severus took it upon himself to wash the pots they had used. She came over to dry the ones he had finished with. He glanced over at her and smirked when he noticed she had flour on her cheek. "Come here," he said, reaching for her. She stood next to him and he wiped the flour away with his thumb. She chuckled and dried her cheek with the tea towel. "Tell me about your summer," he asked, returning to his task.

"There's not much to tell," she said. "I spent some time with Lydia at Lailoken and we visited Peter for while. Then I returned to Hogwarts to start preparations for the new term."

"Have you heard from Logan?"

"Yes," she smiled. "He's doing very well. He's still waiting on his exam results but he's feeling very confident. His bosses in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement are already training him for his first mission."

"Sounds like they have a lot of confidence in him too," he said.

"I think Alastor Moody is giving him special treatment," she said quietly. "They wouldn't normally start training, no matter of their level of confidence in a person, until they have their results back."

"I heard Moody wanted to recruit you when you left Hogwarts," he turned to look at her once he finished the dishes.

"Yes," she sighed. "Alastor is an old friend and I would have gladly taken him up on the offer if Albus hadn't already asked me to join Master Melrose."

"Are you glad he did?" Severus asked, thinking about what Logan had told him the last time he'd seen him.

"Yes," she said, looking thoughtful. "I suppose I am."

Severus watched her face as she dried the last of the dishes. He wondered if she ever thought of the road untraveled; he decided to ask her.

"Sometimes," she said after a moment. "But I suppose no matter what path I had chosen coming out of Hogwarts, that I would have ended up with the life I have now."

"You still would have married Robert?" He asked.

"Yes," she said quickly. The only instant response he'd had from her during the entire conversation. Once she finished drying the last spoon, she turned to face him fully. "You have a lot of question today."

Severus shrugged. "I have a curious mind."

Minerva laughed. "How are you enjoying your summer?" she asked.

"Just fine," he sighed. "I have kept to myself. Worked on my research."

"A creature of habit," she smirked and lifted a hand to brush his hair away from his face. "You don't seem to like it here," she observed. "Why do you still return here?"

Lily.

"I come here to reflect," he said instead. He knew that at some point he would likely need to tell her some of what he kept so closely guarded but for the time being, he couldn't do it. The look in her eyes told him that she hadn't believed what he'd said but she didn't question him any further.

Severus had given her a tour of the house which consisted of a living room and study downstairs, the kitchen she had already seen. Upstairs was his bedroom and the bathroom, the second bedroom, which had been his fathers, was now where Severus experimented with his potions and spells. Afterward, they had returned to the study where they spent the majority of the day. The apple pie now sat on the window sill in the kitchen and the delicious smell filled the house, making it feel more homely than ever before.

Severus looked up from his reading; he had stationed himself at his desk while Minerva had collected a book from the bookcase and curled up in his favourite armchair. He watched a shiver vibrate through her body and he remembered that the house could be quite cold when the sun wasn't shining directly into the windows. He himself had spent so much time there that he rarely noticed it any more. He stood from behind his desk and picked up an old throw from the back of another armchair. He knelt down in front of her and she lowered her book as he gently draped the throw over her knees.

"How did you know? She asked, her hand landing on top of his.

"Just a guess," he smirked. "It's almost time for that awful party," he reminded her.

She laughed. "It will be fun," she said as she leaned forward and dropped a kiss on his nose before retuning to her book.

Much to his annoyance, Minerva had been right. The street party had been fun; or rather, she had made it fun for him. She had done most of the talking, just like she had at other parties they had attended together. He marvelled once again at how easily she was able to fit in wherever she went. And if anything, she seemed more at home amongst the people on the council estate than she did among the rich at Peter's home. His neighbours had taken an instant liking to her, especially the children. He watched her sitting crossed legged on the grass verge, blowing bubbles with the toddlers. They ran after the bubbles, trying to catch them and then ran back to her laughing, falling in her lap for cuddles. He smiled slightly at how happy she looked.

"She's a lovely girl," Mrs Blythe said, coming up beside him. Severus smirked at her choice of words. Minerva and Mrs Blythe were probably not far off in age but you would never have guessed. The difference in their appearances was made all the more apparent by the magic that extended Minerva's life and the hardships Mrs Blythe had faced in her life time.

"She's not a girl," Severus said to her.

"Well I can she's older than you but she'd make a good wife," she said. Severus sighed. Mrs Blythe talked to him about marriage at least once a year, always telling him that his mother had wished for him to marry a kind woman and have his own family one day. "I can see she makes you happy."

There was no denying that, he thought.

"I hope you will bring her here again soon," Mrs Blythe said before heading in Minerva's direction. He couldn't hear what the two women talked about but from the way Minerva glanced in his direction, he could hazard a guess that they were speaking about him. Mrs Blythe thankfully moved on and Minerva continued to play with the children until one of the mother's brought out bowls of ice cream and jelly.

As Minerva made her way back to him, he produced a slice of her apple pie that he had been saving for them to share. "I thought it had all been eaten," she said, using the fork to take a bite.

"Managed to swipe it away before that greedy boy got his fat fingers on it," he said as he took the fork she passed him and took a bite. He made a vow to get her to make this for him in the future.

"Don't be so mean," she admonished, lifting herself up onto the wall to sit just behind him. He leaned against her as he felt one of her arms circle his shoulders and then reach down to take more of the pie. She handed him back the fork and let her hand rest against his chest.

They watched his neighbours interacting with each other and he was glad that they were no longer paying them much attention. Just as he had finished the last of the pie, he felt Minerva rest her cheek against his temple. "It's getting late," she said to him. "I should get going."

Severus turned to face her. "You're leaving?" he asked, putting down the empty plate on the wall and moving his hands to her waist. He watched her glance down at his hands as he massaged her flesh sensually. When she looked back up at him, he knew from the darkness her eyes had taken on that she wasn't going anywhere.

"Take me to bed Severus," she whispered.

She didn't need to ask him twice. He pulled her off the wall and they snuck back in to the house unnoticed.

-x-

Minerva held onto the headboard, her head arched back as he thrust into her from behind. She was wearing his white shirt that she had put on in place of her own tighter shirt after the first time and he realised she'd done it to allow him easier access to her breasts while still concealing what she didn't want him to see. He had been surprised when she had allowed him to pull her up onto her knees to take her in that way but he supposed that this was her way of showing him that she trusted him. She knew he would never attempt to take a look at her back or take the shirt off her unless he had her permission.

Severus wrapped his arms around her waist and guided her up to rest against his chest. She kept one of her hands against the headboard to help her to keep her balance while she turned her head just enough so that he could capture her lips in a searing kiss.

Much later, Severus lay on his back, Minerva tucked into his side. "I have a meeting at 9am with the school governors," she said, tracing her fingers across a thin scar on his arm.

Severus could see light starting to turn the dark sky paler through the gap in his curtains. The birds had been up and busy for some time now and he knew there was not much point in himself trying to sleep now. He buried his nose in her messy hair and took a deep breath. "I have a few pepper-up potions," he said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Take one before you leave and you'll be fine for your meeting."

Minerva sighed against him and he looked down at her face. Her eyes were closed and he knew if he left her, she may get a few hours sleep. Instead, he rolled her over onto her back and began kissing her neck. Despite how tired she probably was, he felt her hands on his stomach, her finger nails gently teasing his skin.

Their final time, he'd taken her slowly. He was as gentle as he'd been when they first had sex in front of the fireplace at Lailoken. There was not a single part of her body that he had neglected and she had gladly returned the favour but she had used a little force in her touches, having clearly noticed how he responded when she did.

He had allowed her to leave his bed when his time piece struck 7am. While she showered, Severus had made coffee and eggs on toast and signed his teaching contract for next year. They sat close together as they ate at his kitchen table, each lost in a copy of the Daily Prophet, her owl having delivered her subscription to her location rather than to the school. They didn't talk much unless to point out something interesting they'd read in the columns.

Severus walked her to his door at 8.15am and held her jacket up for her to slip into. She turned back and kissed him, her lips teasing his in a way that made him think about keeping her at his home longer.

"Enjoy the rest of your summer," she whispered against his lips.

"You too," she said as he opened the door. She gave him one final quick kiss and then he watched her run out into the street, quickly checking the area before dissapparating.

Severus closed the door and leaned against it for a moment. The place still smelled like the apple pie she had made. He smiled as he began his day, every now and again coming across something that made him think of her. By the time he went to bed, Severus was exhausted but he couldn't remember the last time he'd been in such a good mood whilst being in this house. He smirked to himself as he climbed into the messy bed, thinking about the previous night, attributing that to his current mood. But when he lay down, he caught the smell of her hair immediately and he felt a sharp pang of sadness. He was alone again. He buried his nose in the pillow and closed his eyes. It didn't take long for her to appear in his mind, her eyes shone in the semi-darkness from the pillow next to him. He heard her whisper his name and he gladly leaned into her when she pulled him tomorrow her body and wrapped her arms around him. He began to drift off to sleep with the sound of her heart beating beneath his ear.

He smirked, perhaps having visitors wasn't so bad after all.

Sooooooo what did you think? Starting this as a new story is actually a little nerve wracking and I really hope that you all enjoy this one as much as First Cut. Please do let me know your thoughts and feelings, I love hearing from you guys.

xxx