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Zelda remembered at the last moment to dig out the old telephone and plug it in. She then took Severus out and showed him how to load and shoot Michael's shotgun. She was actually quite good with it, although she didn't like it much. She enjoyed the admiration she saw on Severus's face though, as she demonstrated it, and she was fascinated by his concentration. He was completely absorbed in what he was learning, and quickly became proficient.

"Are you always so intense when you learn something new?" she asked thoughtfully. "Intensity is /hot/, you know. You're so in touch with your inner geek, Sev. I'm impressed."

Severus had never thought of learning as sexy, but he had never thought of himself as sexy, either. Zelda's unabashedly curious mind was an excellent match for his own.

"I get tired of this thing, why don't you take out the Glock that Michael gave you? I've never seen you use it," she suggested as she lowered the shotgun.

Severus felt like a teenager showing off for his girlfriend as he went in to collect the small weapon Michael had given him. She could indeed bring out his 'inner geek,' as well as an adolescent urge to impress her, he thought ruefully. He had never felt accepted; always he had been used and made a fool of, so he did not take risks with others. But he was finding his ability to be human with Zelda. He was smiling as he returned and found her carefully cleaning the shotgun, preparing to stow it away.

Zelda looked up and saw his slight smile. "Michael's great about letting me use his guns, in fact he nags me to practice more with this monster, but it has to be perfect when I put it away. So, let's see what you can do with that one."

He was conscious of her watching him as he removed the safety and stepped up to the target. This small gun was as handy as his wand, he thought. His shots were all clustered close to the center of the target. He was irritated, wanting to be as precise as he was with his wand, and when he finished he turned to her with a frown.

"Is there a practice range in the Forbidden Forest where you've learned to shoot in secret?" she asked admiringly. "Michael's right, it must be the wand thing that helps you magical people be so good, so fast."

"People? Who else has done this?" he enquired.

"Michael took the kids out and let them try it, so I could talk alone with Minerva," she replied, "and later I asked Minerva if she wanted to try it. She was amazingly good."

Severus chuckled, imagining his former teacher shooting Muggle weapons here. "I suppose she enjoyed it," he said.

"She certainly seemed to," Zelda replied.

Severus reloaded and handed the gun to Zelda. "Now it is your turn. I wish to see if you are too feminine to excel."

The glare she shot at him was extremely nasty. She took a couple of deep breaths to steady herself before she took her stance. Quite calmly she began to fire, and was pleased to see every shot go direct to the center of the target.

Severus knew he should not be surprised, but he was pleased at this evidence of her competence. When she was finished, she reloaded and handed the weapon back to him.

"Are you too manly to excel?" she asked mockingly.

The absurdity of her question took him aback, and his first two shots went awry. Severus scowled, needing to collect himself before he continued. A faint snicker from his beloved forced him to pause a moment longer. When he finally took the rest of his shots, they were all perfectly centered. He tried to appear impassive, but the faint gleam of triumph in his black eyes gave him away.

"Not bad, for a guy," she said appraisingly. Her eyes swept over him, and she said with a smirk, "In spite of staying in the shade all day, you got just a touch of sun. Since the light's fading, I'll clean your gun, and then if you don't object, I'll rub some nice lotion on your back."

Severus flushed slightly but gamely replied, "Only on my back?"

She grinned wickedly, beginning to clean the handgun. "We can play Sultan and Concubine, and I'll anoint you wherever your Highness thinks it necessary."

Severus could not prevent himself from laughing at her absurd idea, imagining how delightful her attentions to him would be. "Are you finished with that yet?" he asked, striving hopelessly for control.

Zelda sighed happily. "That's twice in one day that you've actually laughed, Sev," she said contentedly. "Just a few minutes, and then we'll go back into the small sweltering building. Unless you'll go ahead and cool off the cabin using my second favorite wand."

Severus thought a moment. "Follow me when you are finished." He smiled as he entered the airless cabin.

Zelda followed a few minutes later with the gun cleaned, reloaded, and ready for Severus to stow away. As she entered the cabin, she gasped in surprise. Where there had been small windows and tiny rooms, there were now lovely, large, open spaces with screened walls that let the evening breeze blow through. She entered the bedroom, looking for Severus, and discovered similar screened walls, and a huge, low bed covered with piles of soft cushions, and filmy bed curtains dancing gently.

"Ah, I see you are tardy, my concubine," a deep voice hissed. "Shall I punish you?"

She tucked the gun back into the pocket of his leather jacket before turning around and bowing her head submissively. "I'm very sorry, Highness," she said, glancing shyly up at him. "How may I serve you?"

Severus smiled. What fun, he thought. "You may remove my clothing and bathe me, pet." He pointed to the bathroom, which had been enlarged and had a large, sunken bath, and filled the tub with a flick of his wand.

Zelda chuckled happily. Undressing Severus was definitely her favorite hobby. She discovered when she removed his shirt that there was a faint hint of color to his skin that had not been present before, but it was not a significant burn. She knelt to remove his pants, and bestowed kisses wherever she could reach, pleased to hear a groan of pleasure from him.

When she was standing again, he said, "You have forgotten something." She looked puzzled, and he continued, "Take your clothes off, my girl, at once."

It only took a second for her to throw off her clothes, and he motioned her to follow him into the bathroom. He slid into the water, which was precisely cool enough to be refreshing and held a hand up to assist her to join him.

"This is wonderful," she murmured, gazing at him starry-eyed. I've never had such fun with anyone." She washed his hair carefully and bathed him gently all over, careful not to irritate his sun-heated skin.

Severus felt completely adored. "Come here, sweetheart," he murmured. He returned her attention, sponging all trace of their swim in the pond from her body. He had never washed another person's hair, but he enjoyed washing Zelda's and rinsing it carefully.

"Thank you," she said, surprisingly shy. "No one's ever done that for me before. It was lovely." She leaned forward and touched her lips lightly to his.

"I believe we should get ready for bed," he said, pulling her out of the bath. They each took a soft towel and began drying each other.

Zelda laughed softly as she wiped his body dry. "This reminds me of the day I found you. You were so mad at me, and so embarrassed."

"I had never considered myself to be lucky, but that day was the luckiest of my life, as well as one of the most shocking." He toweled her hair firmly, making it stand up in crazy curls, and smiled, charmed by the result.

She laughed and led him to the bed, where she brushed out his hair carefully. "Lie down, Sev," she whispered, pressing him onto his stomach and reaching for the bottle of after-sun lotion. She began at his shoulders and worked her way down, eliciting a groan of pleasure at one point. She refused be distracted, and kept rubbing lotion into the backs of his legs. When she had finished, she murmured, "Turn over now."

Severus was reduced to such a languorous state that he could barely move, but he turned over and she began again at his shoulders. This time she could see his blissful expression. They watched each other as she worked on, careful not to miss any spots. "You are very talented, Zel," he said, smiling.

She finished her delightful task, and said, "I'll be right back, my boy." Stepping over to the dresser, she quickly ran a brush through her hair. When she returned she discovered that he was waiting for her.

"Now it is your turn," he said, and he picked up the bottle and returned the favor.

"Mmm... This is marvelous," she whispered as the cooling lotion soaked into her skin. "I guess 'Sultan and Concubine' can wait for another day," she said thoughtfully. "I'd much rather play the 'Severus and Zelda' game."

He put the bottle aside and lay down, taking her into his arms and kissing her. "I shall never tire of this game," he said. His black eyes were knowing as he ran them over her body, and his hands took possession of her with confidence.

Zelda briefly glanced at her surroundings, the magically changed room, the lovely bed, and the lovely man sharing it with her, and then she lost herself in passion with him, and slept dreamlessly until the dawn.

They woke together shortly after the sun rose, and without a word they made love. There was still discussion to be had, but while there was time Severus needed to feel again the reality of their love. It seemed that this trip back to Riddle House would be a short one, but the future was uncertain. He savored the feel of her in his arms, and playfully toyed with her unruly curls.

"Can we keep everything this way?" she asked hopefully. "It's beautifully cool, and our bedroom is lovely."

"Of course. I shall leave here at noon today and hope to return before the night is out," he said, kissing her nose gently. "I wish to find you here when I return."

"Thank you, Sev," she said. "This is wonderful, isn't it?" She stretched luxuriously and pressed her cheek against his chest. "I've never felt so loved before, although I'm still surprised that someone as amazing as you could love me."

He looked at her cynically. "Why do you keep saying that?" he asked.

"I'm ordinary, I'm a Muggle, and you're wonderful," she replied.

"No one has ever thought me wonderful," he replied, "and once I am free of this task, we shall never be parted unless you wish it."

"Then we'll be together forever," she said happily. "If it bores you that I keep doubting us, I'm sorry. I never expected anything like this."

"It irritates me that you undervalue yourself, but I never tire of saying that I love you," he said. He squeezed her firmly. "You are not ordinary. You are wonderful, clever and you delight me. When I must leave you, I know I have a home to return to, wherever you are."

Zelda grew a bit teary in response to his words, and stroked his cheek with a gentle hand. "It seems mad, doesn't it, but we fit together, and when you're gone, part of me goes with you."

Severus smiled tenderly and kissed her forehead. "I believe we shall have company today, so this time alone with you is precious. Shall we breakfast here in bed?"

Zelda grinned and ran a possessive hand over his chest. "If you'll stay here for ten minutes I'll get something. Don't you dare get dressed."

She slipped into a silky robe and into the kitchen, started the coffee, and put some frozen croissants into the oven. She assembled a tray with some fresh fruit, and when the rest was ready she brought it back to the bedroom, where Severus waited with an amused smile.

"Now you have proven that you can feed me," he murmured, "so you may stop being so absurdly defensive." He applied a Hover Charm to the tray, allowing her to join him in the bed.

As they sipped their coffee they smiled. Severus put a caressing finger on her neck and traced a line down between her breasts. "I expect you to remove this unnecessary garment as soon as breakfast is over, and then we shall take a short nap. I find sleeping with you in my arms the only acceptable way to sleep."

She broke a piece off a croissant, dipped it in jam and fed it to him. "Eat something, my boy. You always return from those monsters looking starved, and I have many reasons to want you to keep your strength up." She bit off half of a strawberry, savoring the sweetness, and the rest of their meal consisted of silly love talk interspersed with bites of food.

He Vanished the tray and set his wand down, while Zelda watched him expectantly. She was intrigued by his unexpected flights of fancy, such as the exquisitely luxurious bed they were enjoying, and the beautiful bedroom. She realized that Severus, long called an ugly git, in fact had the soul of a poet and was deeply sensitive to beauty. He eyed her robe critically, and she removed it and slid into his waiting arms.

"I'd like to take you for granted," she said thoughtfully. "To be with you so long that I can't remember what my life was before I found you." She nestled close to him, suddenly sleepy again.

Severus kissed her head and wrapped his arms around her and they slept again. He was aware even in sleep that he was not alone, and he was free from the nightmare horrors that had plagued his sleep for much of his life. He woke refreshed after an hour, and his free hand found her breast, such a perfect size, and he squeezed it firmly, feeling her nipple become hard in his fingers. As his hand moved on, he lowered his face and began attending to her breasts with his mouth.

Zelda emerged gradually from her erotic dream to find it a sexy reality, and threw herself into the moment wholeheartedly. Afterward they lay cuddling in the huge bed, feeling the breeze through the screen walls and listening to the birds in the trees.

"What does this look like outside?" she asked. "Can people see us here if they're outside?"

"It is magic, my love," he replied. "The cabin looks exactly the same as before, from without."

"You made it so beautiful, I want to keep it this way, but what if the weather changes while you're gone?"

Severus smiled mysteriously. "I believe you should take a shower, and while you do I shall take precautions to keep you comfortable in my absence," he murmured.

"I don't recall seeing a shower last night," she said, looking confused.

"The shower is in the bathroom next to Michael's bedroom," he said with a smirk.

"There isn't another bedroom," she replied, then realized that she must be wrong. She reached for the robe she had dropped on the floor, and went to explore. Sure enough, on the other side of the main room there was a new door, and inside was a bedroom as large as theirs, with a door opening into a comfortable bathroom. This bedroom was done in rich reds, brown and ivory, in contrast with theirs, which was all cool greens, blues and hints of violet. She returned to the main room and realized that there was yet another door, and the room behind it had two more beds in it, which meant that she had room for guests.

Zelda went to the door and walked outside, stunned to see that from the outside the cabin looked exactly the same as before. The day was already heating up, but it was breezy and cool inside. She returned to her bedroom and found him still abed, a smug gleam in his eyes.

"I should get used to amazing things, with you in my life," she said. "Although you're all that matters. I'm going to shower now, and prepare for reality."

"Molly said that she would return today, and I do not wish to receive her in bed," he said, and he waited until she had left the room before rising. He slipped his jeans on and reached for his wand thoughtfully, then muttered a low spell, pointing his wand around the room. He went to the main room and did the same thing, assuring that no matter what the weather, the cabin would be spacious and comfortable even if he were absent.

Zelda entered the room swathed in a big towel and her face lit up with happiness when she saw him. "It's all beautiful, but you're the most gorgeous thing in the room," she said, hugging him. She slipped a hand into the loose waistband of his jeans and an eyebrow rose in delight. "Going commando this morning?" she said mischievously. "Lovely."

A tinge of color suffused his thin cheeks. "I shall get dressed presently," he pronounced coldly.

You know," she said conversationally, "everyone's naked under their clothes. You're just a little more naked at the moment than usual, and a delight to my senses." Her hand went just below his waistband to his bare hip and stayed there as she began kissing his throat. What started as a casual caress was rapidly becoming more, when a knock on the door made her jump.

"Answer the door, my girl, and I shall shower," he commanded in a lordly fashion.

He left her standing there, still in her towel, and she went nervously to the door and peeked out. Molly was alone, and with a sigh she opened the door, standing behind it.

"Hi Molly, you're alone, right?" she asked, blushing furiously.

"Yes," Molly said in wondering tones.

"Good. Come on in, and I'll be dressed in two minutes," Zelda said, fleeing to her bedroom.

Molly looked around her in bemusement at the changes to the small dwelling. It was a masterful job of magical enlargement, beautiful as well as practical. She sat in a comfortable chair and enjoyed the breeze until Zelda flew back into the room fully clothed in a sundress and sandals.

"Sorry about that," she said with a chuckle. "Severus left me stranded in a towel when you knocked. Thank heavens it wasn't the kids or Minerva."

Molly chuckled in reply, remembering the games and teasing with Arthur when they were first a couple. "I feel so old and staid sometimes," she said, "it makes me happy to see you having such fun, especially with Severus, who has acted the cranky old professor for so long. It's such a hopeful thing to see him with you."

Zelda said, "He's a wonderful man, Molly."

Molly knew how isolated Severus had been, and liked seeing how fortunate he was now. "You two have been busy enlarging and redecorating, I see. It looks beautiful," she said. "Your taste is exquisite."

Zelda beamed at her. "It wasn't me, it was all Severus," she said. "He'd be embarrassed that you know, but come quickly and look at our new and improved bedroom."

She led Molly to the door, and Molly was filled with envy at the sight. "This room should be featured in Witch Weekly's Home Decorating section," she murmured. "Did he choose the colors?"

Zelda nodded happily. "The violet color is like my bedroom at home, but it was all his idea."

Molly tried to imagine the Severus Snape she had known having an eye for color and interior design. "I wonder what I don't know about all the other people I'm acquainted with," she murmured thoughtfully. "Shall we sit down? There are things we should discuss, and Severus will be leaving soon. Phineas reported to Minerva that all was quiet last night when he came here, and I suppose he will be back soon."

Zelda's lip curled. "I'd managed to forget Phineas for a short, blissful time, which is pretty amazing. He's the only one who ever called me a strumpet, you know."

"I'd throw something at him if he spoke to me that way," Molly confessed. "His portrait is very clever, though, and has good insights to offer to Minerva."

Zelda rolled her eyes in resignation, and turned to a more serious subject. "Tell me what the kids are up to, if you know. Severus doesn't need to hear the details, so let's talk fast."