Disclaimer: I do not own any of the people or places that belong to the wonderful world of Harry Potter, as they belong to J.K. Rowling. The OCs (Katherine, Septimus, Serenity, Helena, Christoph, Elisa, Henry, Nick and any name you don't recognize and isn't from the HP universe) are entirely my own.
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Christmas had been chaotic between Septimus and Helena frantically studying and finishing their Christmas break projects; and Serenity, who was now on the move more than ever between crawling and walking.
Katherine had hosted Christmas day dinner this year; preparing a traditional British holiday meal for the group of nine. Roasted goose served with stuffing, gravy and forcemeat; redcurrant jelly adorned the table, as the currants bush had been plentiful during the summer months; wonderful warmed bread sauce and boiled potatoes; steamed Brussels sprouts and parsnips; and of course, Christmas pudding and minced pies with brandy butter for dessert.
But that night, as well as all the others, had passed by all too fast; and before they knew it, Septimus was back to school.
And with the holidays far behind them, Katherine finished up her plans for the next big event.
"Good morning," Katherine murmured into Severus' pale chest. Light was just beginning to stream in through the frosted eastern windows of the master bedroom. It was the morning of the ninth of January; the morning of Severus' fortieth birthday to be precise. "Happy birthday, love."
A non-coherent grunt left Severus' throat as he pulled Katherine's form further into his side. The action caused Katherine to chuckle a bit, before planting a delicate kiss on the underside of his jaw.
"Come now Sev," Katherine purred lightly. "Let's get up and start the day."
"I rather stay here in bed with you all day," Severus yawned, still refusing to open his eyes.
"But if we do that, you will not get your gift," she teased, trying to pull out of his grasp. But as soon as Katherine rolled to her opposite side, Severus grabbed her from behind and pinned her body to his front.
"I believe my birthday gift is right here," he hummed into her ear, as he ran a pale hand down the front of her naked torso and dipped a finger in-between her folds.
"Not much of a gift, since you can get it anytime you want," she groaned, as his long digits plunged further into her moistening quim.
"That's what makes it even better than a gift," Severus chuckled. He removed his fingers causing Katherine to whimper in protest, but not for too long. Swiftly, he raised her leg over his hip and pressed his hard member into her entrance.
Katherine gasped heavily as Severus fully buried himself into her velvet sleeve. As soon as he felt her relax around him, he began to thrust with abandonment. As tight as her core was, he knew neither of them would last long. And he was right, within a matter of a few minutes, Katherine's walls crashed down around him, sending him over the edge as well.
Letting her leg slip down from his hip, Severus clutched Katherine securely in his arms. His heart raced wildly in his chest and his breath came out in ragged shutters. A satisfied smirk graced his lips, as Katherine groaned in protest once more, as his flaccid length slid out of her and settled between her milky thighs.
Just as his body began to calm, Katherine stirred and shifted herself into a sitting position. With drooping eyelids, Severus glanced up at his wife, noting the mischievous smile upon her lips. He frowned slightly at the look; even more so when he noticed the twinkle in those damned Dumbledore blue eyes.
"What?" Severus grumbled, as he continued watching Katherine closely.
"Time to get up," Katherine smiled, before moving to rise from the bed. "We've got to get dressed and packed before our portkey leaves at ten o'clock."
"Hmm," he hummed, closing his eyes tiredly. But once the words seemed to register in his mind; pale eyelids flew open revealing widened black orbs within. "Portkey?!"
"Yes, portkey," Katherine confirmed as she made her way over to her dresser. "Pack something light to wear, but still preferably long-sleeved. And enough for three days."
"Three days?" he repeated, sitting up hastily on the edge of the bed. "We cannot leave for three days! What about Serenity? And work for Merlin's sake!"
"All have been taken care of," she reassured him. "Serenity is staying with Elisa and Christoph, and I talked to David two weeks ago about it and all he said was to have a good time."
"Katherine..."
"Don't protest Severus," Katherine demanded; the McGonagall accent was now coming into full play. "We have both been working too hard the last couple of months and need a short break. It will do us some good to get away from home for just a few days to clear our heads again."
"Fine," Severus muttered, as he ran a hand threw his bedridden hair. "Where exactly are we going?"
"You'll see," she smirked, before heading for the bathroom.
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"We'll see you in a few days sweet pea," Katherine whispered, as she planted a gentle kiss on her daughter's chubby cheek. Serenity sat securely in her father's arms, watching her mother with wide eyes as Katherine handed the little girl's overnight bag to Elisa.
Severus seemed hesitant about handing his little girl over to the Healer, especially when the one year old looked up at him with her big ice blue eyes. But with one look from his wife, Severus rolled his eyes and placed a soft kiss upon the child's head before handing her over to her godmother.
With five minutes to spare, the couple reached the Apparation site and found their portkey. A small chipped teacup was found nestled beside a snow bedded stump, and Katherine carefully plucked it up and offered half of it to Severus.
A ten o'clock sharp, the teacup glowed blue and the witch and wizard disappeared from sight.
The first thing Severus noticed when they reappeared was the loud song of a cicada. They weren't that unusual, Severus mused, but they were during the winter months. Then it was the heat and humidity that struck him odd. Slowly, he opened his eyes to find himself standing in a large clearing that was surrounded by tropical vegetation and mountains beyond them.
"Katherine?" Severus breathed, as he took in the site. "Where are we?"
"Peru," she replied, taking his empty hand in hers. "Just north of Tarapoto."
"Peru! Why are we here?"
"Can't you smell them?" Katherine smirked up at him, watching his eyes search the area out. Breathing deeply, Severus caught the whiff of a strong, pleasing fragrance. Letting go of Katherine's hand, Severus slowly stepped towards the edge of the clearing and looked down into the small valley below them.
His eyes widened at the sight of what appeared to be millions of shades of white, yellow, pink, orange, green and red flowers. Trumpet shaped flowers that emitted from large woody shrubs.
"Angel's Trumpets," Severus murmured, as Katherine joined him. "I have never seen so many before."
"That's because the ones we usually see are domesticated," Katherine explained as she looked down into the valley. "So this trip isn't fully a personal one; I convinced David that we would collect samples and see if the potency of the flowers varies from plant to plant based on the colors and location."
"Cheeky witch," Severus smirked, while gathering his wife in his arms. "Three days, yes?"
"Three days!"
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The tent had been pitched by early afternoon, leaving Severus and Katherine plenty of time to explore the area around them. The heat was sweltering; reaching near ninety-five degrees Fahrenheit by mid-afternoon. Upon climbing further up into the hills, they were able to look down onto the city of Tarapoto. But they would save the city tour for another day.
Brightly colored birds flittered amongst the tree tops; and native orchids grew everywhere around them.
"Sev," Katherine smiled, pointing upwards. "Look!"
In the trees above them hung hundreds of large cocoa bean pods, seemingly untouched by any human hand. But they weren't the only thing they found unaffected; Heliconia grew by the thousands here, along with Huasai, Sangre de Grado, Oje, Copaiba and even Una de Gato. All of these plants were namely only found of the Black Markets in places like Knockturn Alley. Yet here they were in the mist of those very plants; all with great healing capabilities.
Upon returning to the camp, Katherine made them a quick dinner of Toad in the Hole, before the two retired for the evening in front of the fire. The night had cooled to only a balmy seventy-three degrees, but it was cooler none-the-less. The sounds of the rainforest at night were slightly eerie, but with the amount of wards they had cast earlier, Severus wasn't worried about it.
It was nearing midnight when they finally turned in; Katherine having already dozed off and on by the fire. But Severus found his mind to wound up to sleep, even when his wife curved her body up against his side. His thoughts wandered through the different plants they had seen, and all of the possibilities that they presented to the medical field.
But his thoughts were stopped short, when a loud thud and deafening roar echoed through the camp. The noise was so vociferous that it caused both wizard and witch to shoot up from the bed; even with Katherine having been in a deep sleep.
"What was that?" Katherine gasped, holding a hand over her heart.
"I'm not sure," Severus replied, just before another loud thud shook the ground around them. Shouts of frustration and protest followed by another earsplitting roar caused both Severus and Katherine to jump to attention.
The witch and wizard grabbed their wands from the small bedside table and hastily rose from the mattress. Clothes were quickly transfigured and both started toward the entrance of the tent. Raising the flap cautiously, Sever and Katherine peered out into the darkness.
Slowly, they made their way out into the night; forgoing using their wands for light, Severus and Katherine crept forward towards the edge of the wards. The shouts became louder as they neared the perimeter; then finally the glow from several wands alerted them to the area of the commotion.
Stealthy, they moved beyond the wards and into the trees nearby. Severus felt his spy mode kick in quickly, and he knew Katherine's had as well. Both her body and mind had gone completely silent, as the two slithered through the vegetation around them.
Finally, they reached the edge of the tree line, and silently perched themselves behind a large Balsam tree. Severus held his breath, as the two peered around the trunk and silently counted the number of glowing wands they could see.
'20?' Katherine voiced echoed through his mind, as she leaned against the bark.
'20,' Severus confirmed, as his sights still gazed upon the large clearing.
Suddenly, another booming roar echoed from the spot where the lights had been seen, but this time it was followed by a spew of fire. Severus and Katherine gasped and dove for the lower covering bushes, as a column of flames torches the trees above them.
'Katherine? Are you alright?' Severus asked, as he felt around for her.
'I'm fine Sev,' Katherine replied, as she felt his arm grab her own. Quietly, the two parted the branches in front of them, and the sight before them made their eyes widened. A large bodied creature about fifteen feet in length and copper in color. Black ridged-markings and short horns adorned the being's head and lengthy forked tongue protruded from between razor sharp fangs.
'A dragon!'
'That's not just any dragon Sev,' Katherine stated, as they watched the still lit wands scatter once again. 'It's a Peruvian Vipertooth!'
"Garantir o dragão!" A rambling voice came from the clearing, as spells began firing off rapidly. The dragon roared again and began to rear back, ready to spew off fire, but was restrained as a rope suddenly wrapped around its' snout.
'Katherine?' Severus hissed in his head. 'What language is that?'
'Portuguese,' Katherine said. 'That can only mean that they're...'
'Poachers,' Severus confirmed, as his eye scanned the clearing. '20, yes?'
'Yes, why?' Katherine asked, as she reached to grab his hand that was clutching hers. As soon as she had asked, Katherine gasped softly. 'No! Absolutely not! There are twenty of them and only two of us!'
'Are you are former Death Eater or not?' Severus growled, as he shook off Katherine's hand. 'We've taken on more than this by ourselves.'
'But, Sev...'
'Are you going to help me or not?' Severus hissed. He knew in his head that it was the right thing to do. Plus he worried that one of those poachers may happen to wander upon their campsite.
'Alright,' Katherine sighed. 'What is the plan?'
'Disillusion yourself and stay here,' Severus directed her. 'I will make my way over to the other side of the clearing. I'll fire first, then you. As soon as you fire off your spell move. We'll keep at it until they're all incapacitated.'
'Right,' Katherine said, as she took a calming breath. 'Sev...stay safe.'
'You as well my dear," he replied, as he disillusioned himself and silently slipped off through the trees. Severus moved stealthily through the vegetation, thanking Merlin for the noise that the rowdy poachers were making.
"Apressar!" a voice shouted from the clearing. "Antes que a Aurors nos encontrar!"
"Feitiço para matar," the voice shouted again. "Na contagem de três! Um...dois..."
But the count was never finished, as one of the men was blasted into the trunk of one of the trees that surrounded the clearing. Chaos ensued, as Katherine fired off her first spell as well. Spells exploded throughout the forest, taking out large branches that fell to the earth with a massive crash. Lower vegetation was set ablaze, creating a billowing cloud of smoke. Bright lights of red and green lit the area, as spells flew in every direction.
Then suddenly, with a final stunning spell from Severus, the last poacher fell. Slowly, both Severus and Katherine emerged from the trees. After checking their surrounds, they removed their disillusion spells and collected the wands from each of the poachers.
"Are you alright?" Severus finally asked, as he plucked the last wand from the ground.
"I'm fine," Katherine breathed, as she cast a spell to bind and blindfold each poacher. "What do we do now?"
"Send your patronus to the local Aurors," Severus said, as he glanced towards the dragon. "They can take it from here."
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Ten minutes after Katherine's silver fox set out, and sounds of several Apparations echoed through the forest. Peruvian Aurors rounded up the poachers, as several dragon handlers put the beast to sleep in order to check over the health of the Vipertooth.
Head Auror Daniel Varela ordered those below him, to Apparate the prisoners directly into the holding cells at the Ministry; before turning to question Severus and Katherine.
"Before we begin," Auror Varela said in a thick accent. "I will need see your travel permit."
"Of course," Katherine said, producing the papers from her robes.
"You are here on a potions research assignment for a hospital?" Varela asked, as he eyed the couple.
"Yes sir," Katherine replied. "We are researching the differences of the Angel's Trumpets for certain potions."
"Hmm..." Varela hummed, as he looked over the papers. "Well these seem to be valid. Let's continue shall we..."
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After an hour of questioning, the two returned to the tent. Severus couldn't help but smirk at Katherine's change in posture. She had become more of the younger Katherine he once remembered; one that was exhilarated after a dueling match.
"Merlin's beard Sev!" Katherine's chuckled as they began readying themselves for bed. "That was brilliant! We haven't dueled like that in ages! I can still feel the adrenaline pumping through me. Good lord, it makes me feel..."
"Enthusiastic?" Severus questioned, rolling his eyes slightly at her chipperness. "Elated? Exalted?"
"Hmm..." Katherine smirked lightly, as she came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"I was going for aroused, actually," she said softly into his ear, as one hand toyed with the band of his pants. "Remember how randy we use to get after a raid? Sometimes barely even making it through the door of the house before we were on top of one another?"
"I believe one time we didn't make it," Severus grinned slightly, as Katherine placed a kiss between his shoulder blades. "Thank Merlin for the disillusion charms and the fence behind the house. Otherwise..."
Severus hissed, as Katherine's hand slipped into his pants and stroked his member beneath the fabric.
"What was that, love?" Katherine gave a cat like grin, as she stroked him twice more; extracting a deep moan from the wizard. "I didn't quite catch that."
"If you don't stop that witch, I'll be finished before you get what you want," Severus groaned, as she fondled him again.
"Well, in that case," Katherine mused, as she stopped her ministrations and moved in front of him. Lightly, she pushed him towards the bed. The backs of Severus' knees hit the frame, causing him to collapse onto the mattress, but not before wrapping his arms around Katherine's person and bringing her down with him.
She let out unusually giggle as she collapsed onto of him; Severus couldn't remember the last time he had heard her do that. She hardly had ever giggled when she was young; the occasional snort or chuckle maybe, but never a giggle.
He could feel her heart beat wildly in her chest, as she pressed herself against him as hard as she could. Her naked breasts rose and fell heavily with arousal, as they fumbled to rid each other of their undergarments. Katherine straddled his waist and ground herself against him, causing Severus to groan loudly beneath her. Lips came together, and tongues dueled, as Katherine shifted her hips so his tip was pressed against her entrance.
His hands wandered her body; one choosing to entangle itself in her golden locks, while the one settled on her hip. Quickly, he lifted his hips and impaled her swiftly, causing Katherine to gasp loudly. Both began to rock their hips in unison; his thrusts going deeper and deeper, hitting her cervix each and every time. He could feel her climax nearing as her velvet sleeve quivered around him.
Katherine moaned against his lips as she came; her body spasm in his arms. But it wasn't enough for Severus. Swiftly, he rolled them both and pinned her onto the mattress. Never removing himself from her, Severus wrapped her legs around his waist and thrust into her with abandonment. One of his hands fondled her breasts and the other rose to summon his wand.
He had been dying to use this spell after finding it in a rather exotic charm book he had found hidden in the study. Katherine's eyes widened as she watched Severus mutter a spell then press the tip of his wand to her clit. The spell produced a heavy vibration, causing Katherine to climax almost instantly.
She gasped as her body trembled beneath him and her core tightened around his member. With a final thrust and a loud moan, Severus came so hard that he thought he might pass out.
Removing his wand, he dropped it onto a nightstand and rolled his body to the side. Katherine's body was still trembling, as he pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips to the top of her head. After a few moments of silence, as they caught their breaths, Katherine shifted and pressed her lips to his.
"Happy Birthday love," Katherine whispered, before burrowing her face into the crook of his neck.
Severus gave a small smile, as it had been a good fortieth birthday indeed.