A Welcomed Invasion

Part 1

Severus Snape hung up his cloak on the coat rack in the hall, the rustle of fabric loud against the muted darkness of night. He took off his boots and strode towards the open door of his bedchamber. As he moved into the room he felt his foot trip over something solid. None of his grace nor his skill could save him as he tumbled to the ground, his head colliding with the wooden post of his bed. That solid object had not been there earlier that morning, of that he was certain.

"Damn woman," he muttered, rubbing at his bumped forehead.

He heard a sleepy sigh and the whisper of sheets from his bed. "Severus?" a feminine voice murmured from the darkness.

"Yes, dear?" he grumbled, putting unnecessary emphasis on the "dear".

"Be careful. I-" a yawn "I left a box of texts by the door."

His wife had become increasingly inconsiderate with where she placed her belongings in his quarters. He remembered that she had been a light presence when they first started living together. She had kept her possessions confined to the drawers and shelves that he had cleared for her, and only her monstrous cat had free reign of the chambers. Then, after a few weeks, Severus noticed that her books had somehow migrated to his shelves, a mug monogrammed with "HJG" had taken up permanent residence on the coffee table and, perhaps most surprisingly, a cut glass decanter full of an amber liquid that smelled pleasantly of alcohol and almonds had appeared in his liquor cabinet. Who would have thought that proper Ms. Granger was fond of intoxicating beverages? But that wasn't the end of the invasion. Now he regularly found her notes in his study, her perfume on what used to be his favorite armchair and strands of her hair in each and every conceivable place.

He sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled off his socks. The socks were then tossed onto the floor where they were promptly followed by his shirt and trousers. He raised the edge of the comforter and was about to tuck his feet underneath when he noticed the outline of her legs on his side of the bed. Of course, his wife had already fallen under the Sandman's spell and nothing save for a natural disaster or Severus making a complete fool of himself could wake her from her slumber. He climbed out off the mattress and walked around to the foot of the bed. Wrapping his fingers around Hermione Granger's ankles, he pulled her legs to the other side of the bed. After finally making it to the warmth of the bed covers he drifted into a light sleep.