Warnings: Strong language as usual. Implied sexual content, but no actual smut.
"So.. have you thought of names for the little sprout yet?" Poppy inquired, her voice hushed with a small smile on her lips. Though I hadn't been completely open with matters concerning the baby, she had vowed to keep the news between us. It did nothing to quell her obvious excitement, despite the dreary road ahead of us all.
"I have not, but something tells me you have," I chuckled, despite the exhaustion and nausea that plagued me.
At this point, I wasn't sure what was symptoms of the pregnancy and what was side effects of not having an outlet for the restless darkness that swirled angrily inside of me. I was beginning to fear the lack of use of my powers and my inner turmoil because of it would negatively affect the baby. Though Severus had been most reassuring when I had brought it up, there was a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. There wasn't, after all, a guidebook for Shade pregnancies. Despite his devotion and endless nights of thumbing through countless dusty, leather-bound books that offered no answers, we still didn't know the first thing about my condition.
"Well, I suppose there are a few I'd like to run by you sometime," Poppy grinned, though her good spirits fell short as the Carrow siblings entered the corridor. Amycus' gaze slid along the length of my body as he turned to face me, stopping in tracks with a slimy smirk adorning his face , and I scowled in his direction. Alecto slowed to a stop when realizing he was no longer walking next to her and turned her head. Her eyes flitted between her brother and myself, scoffing lightly.
"Poppy, go ahead and I'll meet you there, okay?"
"I hardly think-" she began to argue.
"I promise it's nothing I cannot handle," I assured her, and though it was evident she wanted to argue with me, she huffed out a defeated sigh and continued on, not bothering to hide her distaste for the pair as she passed by.
"My, my. How restless you look this morning, Kathryn," Alecto snickered as the two of them advanced toward me. He knew Voldemort was putting me through the wringer, how he tortured me with orders to stay put. There was even a bet going on between many of my fellow Death Eaters concerning how long I would hold out before harming one of the students. "Have things finally grown stale with your beloved dungeon bat? Perhaps I can alleviate your troubles."
"As if you would know the first thing about alleviating a woman in any way," I quipped, earning a sneer from the man while his sister poorly suppressed her amusement. He shot her a glare before closing the distance between us, stepping in so close that his sour breath fanned across my face.
"You'd do well to know your place, Shade. You're nothing but a shiny toy for the Dark Lord. I've followed Voldemort far longer than you have, and I have earned my place in his ranks. One day he will rid himself of your dreary excuse of a lover. Then he'll use you up until you are nothing but a dried out, pathetic, powerless creature, and I'll be there to catch you when you fall. And I assure you, love, that I will not be a lenient master."
"I do so enjoy our chats, Amycus. When I do finally take my place, it will make squashing you like the pathetic little bug that you are all the more enjoyable," I smirked, wearing a calm facade despite the anger that boiled beneath my unbothered expression. "Perhaps when you fall on your knees before me, begging for mercy, I will be a lenient master and kill you swiftly."
Alecto stiffened next to her brother, clearly no longer amused as she glared daggers at me and grabbed him by the arm. She attempted to pull him away, but he held his ground, his eyes locked onto mine as he seethed. "Careful, Quinn. If one didn't know better, they would think you have treasonous intentions in that pretty little head of yours."
He reached his hand forward, as if he intended to brush his knuckles across the line of my jaw as a lover would, but a tendril of shadows whipped from my palm, constricting his wrist like a snake. I willed it to tightened its hold, no longer interested in playing games with either of them. Amycus grunted, teeth clenched and eyes bulging as he glared back at me before finally crying out and trying to break free of my hold.
"Let him go, you crazy-," Alecto began to shriek, but with a simple flick of my wrist, another tendril shot from my free hand and wrapped around her pale throat. A wave of unbridled excitement began to stir deep inside of me as the woman uselessly clawed at the intangible force that cut off her airway. The satisfaction of my violent actions left me in a state of desire that was becoming harder to resist, and with each passing second I tightened the shadows' hold markedly.
"You wait until the Dark Lord hears-," Amycus began, his voice lacking the self assurance it once held. Red splotches scattered along his pasty face and neck, his fear evident.
"What do we have here?" Severus' voice pierced through my haze of satisfaction, so slowly and calmly that the sound of his rich baritone alone began to ground me back to reality. I willed the shadows to recede, but I continued to glare at the Carrows as Severus approached from somewhere behind me.
"S- She.. is..," Alecto sputtered.
"Out of control," Amycus exclaimed as he nursed his bruised wrist.
"Tell me, Carrow, why do you continue to harrass Ms. Quinn? You know of her abilities, and you are aware of her lack of.. self control. Could it be that you are simply too dull-witted to know any better, or do you wish for her snap your neck?" Severus asked, his voice equanimous despite the fist clenched at his side.
Amycus mouth opened to retort, but Severus held a hand up to silence him. "I believe you both have classes to prepare for. The Dark Lord would not be pleased to hear that two of his chosen followers are not taking their positions seriously."
Amycus looked as if he wanted to retort, his angry gaze now settled on Severus alone, but with a curt, "Come on," Alecto started back toward their previous destination, practically dragging her brother down the corridor. Severus remained silent, waiting until they were both out of sight before turning quickly toward me and taking my hands into his own. He scanned over seemingly every inch of my body for any evidence that the Carrows had harmed me physically, his gaze resting on my stomach for a prolonged few seconds before his eyes found mine once more.
"I'm fine, really, Severus. I didn't mean to let it get so out of hand."
"The Carrows are certainly... disagreeable, and though I would like to very much do the same to that nincompoop.. You must keep the students in mind," Severus spoke softly, but his statement was a reminder that despite our personal relationship, he was Headmaster of the school and in turn, my boss.
"Severus I wouldn't have hurt a student, honestly-"
"You can guarantee with one hundred percent certainty that if a student would have walked into this corridor not two minutes ago, that no harm would have come to them?"
"I just- it's just- Look, I'm sorry. I fucked up," I sighed. "I've been sort of antsy lately, and I let Carrow get under my skin."
"What was that all about?" Severus inquired.
"I fear if I tell you, my love, you'll go kill him yourself."
I had already began taking a step into his arms when the sound of approaching footsteps and giggling of students echoed throughout the corridor. Severus stepped away quickly, clearing his throat lightly as a small cluster of Slytherin girls approached, eyeing the two of us with interest. A red haired girl leaned over, whispering something into her classmate's ear before they both immediately broke out into a fit of giggles.
Severus met their gazes sourly, "I believe all students are to be in the Great Hall at this time, Miss Garver," he snapped. The redhead flinched, and the sharp clip of his voice wiped the amusement off each of the girls' faces.
"W- we were heading there now, Headmaster," one of the girls stammered.
"Perhaps five points.. each.. from Slytherin will aid you all in being more prompt in the future."
I bit my cheek in attempt to hide the smile threatening to spread across my face as the girls balked at terrifying man before them. "Yes, sir," the redhead finally said through clenched teeth, her gaze dropping to the floor as she and her friends made a hasty retreat.
"There's a rumor among the students that the new Headmaster is romantically involved with a staff member," I grinned, thankful for the chance to change of subject in hopes it would quell my shaken state.
"Those blasted portraits," Severus groaned. The portraits in Severus' office had been flashed with more than their fair share of our inappropriate behavior, and at some point it must have become a topic of interest among the castle's vast collection of them.
"Let's just be glad they haven't disclosed just how romantically involved you are with said staff member," I teased. A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth, despite his vexation with the portraits' gossiping tendencies. "It's not as if they've actually witnessed anything noteworthy... well, aside from some heavy petting I suppose."
"I have been meaning to have them removed for some time now," he said, arm extended for me to take before leading along the corridor.
"Aw, come now. Let the poor things be. It's only a little gossip," I laughed, gently bumping my shoulder against his.
"The poor things are intolerable," Severus stubbornly remarked.
"I suppose it would have its advantages though," I commented suggestively.
"Is that so, Ms. Quinn?"
"Well, you see I don't believe I've voiced my desire for you to do so, but I have an ongoing fantasy that involves you bending me over that grand desk and doing unseemly things to my body."
"I'm aware. You project it quite loudly, quite often," he responded, his voice thickening with each word he spoke.
"It would be a shame to let such needs go unattended," I egged, earning a grunt of agreement from him. "In a castle as large as this one, filled with so many.. empty desks-"
My goading was cut short, replaced with a thrilled shriek muffled by Severus' lips descending onto mine as he pushed me into an empty classroom, guiding me backwards as he kissed me breathlessly. It wasn't until my back hit the wooden edge of a large desk centered in the front of the room that I broke my lips from his, taking in greedy gulps of air and giggling as he used the opportunity to trail sloppy kisses down my neck.
His fingers were already pushing my skirt over my hips when I blurted, "Oh shit, wait. The door."
Severus growled against my collarbone, nipping at my skin playfully as he whipped his wand from his cloak, not bothering to even glance back at the door as he locked it. Then as the wand was dropped carelessly to the floor beneath us with a clatter, he spun me around. With more care than he normally would have given, which I suspected stemmed from his desire to protect the life growing inside my womb, he bent me over the cool surface and made quick work of acting out the aforementioned unseemly acts of my fantasy.
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Breakfast was nearly over by the time we finally made it to the Great Hall. The rumors certainly didn't bother me, but I respected Severus' desire for privacy, so I had opted to stay behind for a few moments, barely catching the lipstick smeared along his jawline which I rubbed off just before he straightened his shoulders and stalked off to his seat at the staff table. Grinning like an idiot, I watched his form disappear from sight through the grand doorway.
"Ah, so the rumors are true," the familiar voice of Nearly Headless Nick boomed from behind me.
"Fuck," I exclaimed, turning to face the ghost hovering nearby. "How many times have we talked about not sneaking up on people, Nicholas?"
It certainly hadn't been the first time he had snuck up on me, and I had an inkling it wouldn't be the last. After spending as much time as I had in Hogwarts throughout the years, I had found friendship in the oddest of places. I was ashamed of myself for not sparing him a moment during the chaos my life had become, and my expression softened as I regarded him.
The spirit held his hands out in mock surrender. "Imagine my surprise to find you canoodling with the headmaster right here in the open," Sir Nicholas spoke, thankfully much quieter than he previously had. "Not that I'm here to judge, he's a.. erm, fine fellow I suppose. A bit terrifying, gloomy some would say. But like I said, no judgement here."
"It was the portraits wasn't it?"
"It started with the portraits, and then it began circulating among the spirits of the castle. I believe Peeves has had a hand in spreading it among the staff and students."
"Wonderful," I sighed. "Is there any chance you can throw them off our trail?"
"The best I can do is keep this particular situation between us," he answered apologetically.
"I'd appreciate that. You're a good friend, Sir Nicholas. I suppose I should probably.." I trailed off.
"Right, of course, enjoy your day, my lady," Nicholas said with a slight bow of his head, the evidence of his execution on display as his neck began to split apart. I fought the urge to grimace at the sight and used the opportunity to finally enter the Great Hall.
I was pleased to go hardly noticed as I crept alongside the walls of the room, scanning the staff table as I headed toward the empty seat next to Poppy. She was currently casting a suspicious glace at Severus, whose eyes had been trained on me from the moment I walked into the room. She was smart, and I knew it would only be a matter of time before I had to break the news of my relationship with Severus to her.
She didn't know the truth behind his part in Dumbledore's death. As far as she was concerned, he was the man who murdered her longtime friend in cold blood. Of all the disappointing things I had done, I knew that the discovery of us would cut her the deepest.
"I don't like the way he looks at you," Poppy stated as I slid into the empty chair.
"Who?" I asked, feigning ignorance.
"Snape. Every time you walk into a room, he's lurking around- watching you," she replied, shooting him another sidelong glance.
"Don't be silly, Poppy. I'm sure You Know Who has assigned him with keeping a good eye on me is all," I spoke nonchalantly, using her preferred name for the Dark Lord. A fresh wave of guilt settled in my gut as I lied.
Poppy simply hummed in response, obviously unconvinced.
"You know, I was thinking perhaps we could make plans for Hogsmeade soon," I said quickly, scrambling for something to distract her. "I know it's early, but I was thinking perhaps we could pick some things out for the package," I added, using our newly picked nickname for the baby.
"You know, I had the same thought this morning. I thought I would have to drag you there by the ear, but this is a delightful surprise," she grinned, taking the bait. "There's a quaint little place where they have the most precious..."
I smiled, only half listening, giving her a hmm or an ah when needed as I continued sneak glances at Severus who looked to be in a situation quite similar to mine. He did little to hide his disinterest as Professor Slughorm rambled on next to him. On occasion our gazes would meet, and despite my resistance, I found myself grinning in his direction as memories of our recent tryst danced in my head.