Secret Lovers – 1995

It really was endearing how he would fall asleep with his arm wrapped around her waist and his head resting on her shoulder and she appreciated the gesture, but it made extricating herself from his arms without waking him a very difficult process indeed. And it was four o'clock in the flipping morning for crying out loud, now was not the time to wake him!

"And you're not a morning person as it is, Severus," she murmured with a smile as she began to tug at his long fingers, trying to pull them away from the smooth skin of her stomach. Even in his sleep he responded to her voice, the fingers clenching slightly and moving his head so that it rested more firmly against her neck. Great, getting out of the bed without incident was going to be even harder! Her and her big Irish mouth!

Sometime later Eowyn slid from the bed, groping to find her chemise and nightgown that she had worn in the brief trip to his rooms. Why was it that they always ended up fifteen metres from the bed when she was fairly sure they'd all come off just on it? Oh well. She finally found them and pulled them on, tying the knot on her dressing gown securely. She turned at a slight sound and realised that it was Severus, his hand running over the rumpled sheets, looking for the now familiar weight and heat that was not there.

Even in his sleep … even in his sleep he still misses me.

Smiling foolishly, Eowyn tiptoed over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before tiptoeing out of his bedroom and into his lounge.

Contrary to popular belief, Severus Snape's office was not decorated with the preserved heads of his enemies floating in brandy or grinning selfies of him and Lord Voldemort, as Eowyn had heard some of the Muggleborns speculating. No. Rather it was lined with books, books and more books. More than a few old tomes which she had spent hours searching for in her schooldays had been found on his shelves. Two chairs sat by the fire with a table between them, on which sat their hot chocolate (Severus hated coffee) and the books they had been reading before … Eowyn could feel a faint pink flush creeping up her neck and hastily diverted herself from that line of thought. If Peeves or Filch was patrolling the halls it would need to look as though she had been doing nothing less incriminating than stealing food from the kitchen. (Which, for the record, was quite believable, seeing as she'd been doing it since first year.)

Remembering what they had been discussing earlier in the evening, she found one of his pens and wrote down a note on a spare slip of paper.

If Ravenclaw beat Slytherin in the next match, you have to mark all my fourth and sixth years' homework for a week.

E.G.

There, she thought with a smile, before picking up her wand, walking to the door and opening it cautiously, glancing around to make sure that no one was about. If anyone saw the Care of Magical Creatures teacher creeping out of the Potions Master's rooms the world would likely go up in flames. She smiled drily at the images that went through her head. Hidden Love Affair at Hogwarts, Severus Snape: Capable of Love or Merely Lust?

Eowyn snorted at that last thought, no doubt inspired by a conversation she had overheard from her fifth years. Little did they know he was well and truly capable of both.

Then she heard a noise. She spun around, wand pointing in the direction from which it had come. It couldn't be Severus, she would have heard the door open. Mrs Norris? No, the cat never made a sound and was one of her best friends for life. Mr Filch? No, he made more noise than that. And after all, he hated this particular section of the dungeons. And Severus to boot.

"BOO!"

Auriga Sinistra, Septima Vector and Charity Burbage leapt out of the dark, fairly blinding their friend with their Lumos charms.

Yes, one chapter done! All reviews are appreciated and if anyone has any wonderful ideas please let me know! I'll be updating fairly regularly so keep on the lookout and yes I do intend to finish this fic. The date that comes with the title of every chapter is necessary since there'll be a bit of jumping around time periods. Now click that review button and let me know what you think! (I own nothing! Nothing!) And yes, you smart alecs will have realised that Eowyn is named after a Lord of the Rings character and an Elven city. Well done. I also happen to be a Lord of the Rings fan.