A Life of Love - II. Celebration of Love - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Holidays came and went.  First, came Valentine's day with heart shaped balloons and a dozen red roses, cards, and assorted chocolates.  Severus whipped up a special elixir that made them feel like they were walking on clouds and intensified their love making.  Bethany gave him a parchment on which she had written one of the reasons that she loved him for each day of the month.  They kissed, cuddled, and made love again and again all day long.  

Personal holidays came, and went: the first time that they kissed, the day he first asked her to be his girlfriend, the first time they made love.  They gave each other sweet little gifts to commemorate each of these occasions.  Of course, they never forgot to take pictures.

On the anniversary of the day they first consummated their relationship they were lying under the trees, watching the leaves make patterns against the blue patches of sky as the wind gently whispered.  They were reminiscing because school was drawing near the end of the year.  

“Do you remember all those poems I wrote you last summer?” Severus asked.

Bethany giggled, “Of course I do. You said something like 'I'll write you a poem every week if you like.'  And I said that sounded romantic but I didn't think you would actually do it, especially not more than once a week.  It was lovely though.”  She sighed.

“Well, I kept the original copies and I thought you might like to have those letters and poems where you could keep them all together.  So I had them printed up and bound together in a book.”  

Bethany was surprised as he pulled out from his robes a thin, bound book with gilded edges and handed it to her.  It was titled A Season of Love.  She opened it and on the first page was typed:  

Dedicated to my first and only love, Bethany.  
Yours Forever, Severus

She flipped through the pages of the book.  They were indeed all the poems and love letters he had written her over the summer.  It was over thirty pages in length.  He wrote long poems and even longer letters.

“Oh, Sevy!  It's beautiful!  However did you get it bound like this?”

“I have my methods,” he said cryptically, but smiled as well.  

“I love it!  I'll always treasure the poems you hand wrote me but this is so special...  Now I have them all in one place.  Oh, my parents will just think it's brilliant!  I can't wait to show this to them and my Ravenclaw friends.  They'll be so jealous.”

“Uh, um.  Those poems are sort of private.  You can share them with whomever you like but remember my heart is in these pages.”

“Oh, I might read a few people one poem.  But you're right.  These poems are special—between you and me.  Help me pick out one you don't mind other people hearing.”

They poured through his writing and came upon one called My Muse which they both decided was romantic enough but not too personal or sexual to read to a few special people in Bethany's life.

Bethany, for her part, had made heart-shaped chocolate chip cookies from scratch for Severus on their anniversary.  They had brought these out with some lemonade to eat while the sun was high.  She had also bought him a raw garnet crystal, since it was his birth stone.  It was large with beautiful spikes and pinnacles of crystal which varied in degree of color from deep red to almost transparent white.  She thought it might be useful since its properties were to increase the owner's strength, endurance, and vigour.  For her part, she figured he might need that for this anniversary if for no other reason.  Besides, the garnet was beautiful and red to symbolize their love.

They enjoyed the day tremendously, making love twice in the grass under their bower of trees.  They cuddled and remembered back to their first time in the Potions lab.

“That was very naughty of us,” Severus said.  “It was fun but we could have been caught and separated.  I enjoy being here with you under the trees with a view of the Forbidden Forest just as well.  But I have to admit, your bed is my favorite place to make love to you.”

“You and that bed,” she laughed.  “Maybe you should make love to it.  'It's so soft' you say.”

“I just want us both to be comfortable.  Besides, I dream of one day holding you in a bed and sleeping with you all night long.”

“Well, that will have to be when we are out of school and on our own, won't it?”

“I can wait,” he whispered softly.  “That is certainly something worth waiting for.”

---

Summer arrived and they had to part again.  It would have been even harder than the summer before, but now that Bethany's parents knew Severus, he was welcome to Apparate every few days.  At the Wrights suggestion and expense, the young couple started taking dancing lessons together twice a week for the entire summer.  They learned ballroom dancing mainly.  Soon they discovered that the Vienna waltz, for all its elegance, was Bethany's favorite.  The tango, in all it's dramatic yet restrained display, was Severus's.  Bethany also began drawing, a hobby she had put away long ago.  She said Severus's face inspired her, so she often drew him as he was writing poetry for her.  They rode horses or took long walks in the gardens and made love in the fields far from Bethany's house.  The days passed by quickly, each one bringing a new simple pleasure that would become a cherished memory.

The only truly major event was Bethany's birthday on July 19th.  It was her seventeenth birthday and the day would turn out to be a more elaborate occasion than either one of the lovers expected.  Yet, Bethany's day began simply enough by Severus waking her with a kiss.  She blinked into the filtered light from the window and smiled up at him.  She didn't realize it was morning.  She thought she had just taken a nap.  

He whispered “Happy birthday, Sweeting.  You looked like an angel lying there so it was hard to wake you up.  However, I wanted to see you more than even letting you sleep.  I hope you rested well.”

“Better if it could have been with you,” she sighed.

“You're parents are already gone to work.  They decided to let you sleep in.  So why don't I just crawl in bed with you and it will be like we woke up together?”

“If you crawl in this bed, sleep will be the last thing on my mind.''

“Even better,” he said, laughing lightly.  

Bethany lifted the covers for him and Severus crawled in next to his lover.  He turned on his side to face her.  They put their arms around each other and began kissing slowly and sweetly.  They stopped for a time, just holding one another.  Bethany yawned and Severus kissed her cheek.

“Well, I don't feel any older,” she said.

“That's the strange thing about birthdays.  You don't feel any older but suddenly you are allowed to have rights and privileges that no one would give you the day before.”

She looked at him wonderingly for a moment.  “Rights and privileges?”  Then it dawned on her sleepy mind.  “That's right!  I'm seventeen today and officially an adult.  Oh, how exciting!” she said clapping her hands together.  “That means all sorts of things, like that this year will be my last in school, oh and N.E.W.T.s will be at the end.  I'll have to get a job soon, so I need to start planning for all that and...”

“And what about the fun parts of being an adult,” Severus said.  “Stop being a Ravenclaw for just a second and think about it.  You get to have more control over your own life.  You can move out if you can afford it, which I couldn't and you probably don’t want to do.  You can drink stronger drinks than butterbeer.  Plus you are allowed to use magic outside of school.  You can even Apparate once you've passed the test, which should be no problem for you.  And this IS your last year of school, an exciting prospect in itself.  A whole world awaits your talents.  Your potentialities are limitless.  And you have a man whose love for you is close to worship.  Think of all that!”

Bethany's mind opened and took in all the possibilities for an expansive moment.  She let herself breathe in every chance, every success or failure that she could learn from, every decision, every choice, every hope, every dream.  They all seemed grand and yet attainable.  She was just on the verge of beginning her adult life.   She wondered very much how it would turn out.  

She thought of a life filled with love and family, good friends, exciting experiences, a job she enjoyed, pastimes she adored and was able to experience in abundance, traveling the world, and of course, Severus, always Severus.  Bethany never doubted that he would be a part of it all.  Often she daydreamed about what their lives would be like together.  It was always so beautiful, whether she imagined becoming engaged, dallied with thoughts of their wedding day, or even considered their potential children.  It was exciting to envision all the fun experiences they could share of traveling, dancing, symphonies, parties, simply sketching him while he wrote to her.  It was lovely even when she just thought of coming home from work to share dinner with him or of growing old together while watching the sunset from the front porch of their home.  There were so many experiences they had yet to have together.  Bethany looked forward to her future if only for the chance to share those things with Severus.

“I'm old enough to get married,” she thought.  The idea, for as much as she had daydreamed about it, seemed very foreign to her, even though she was in love.  She didn't feel old enough to be doing all those things she had thought of.  She didn't feel prepared.

“Oh, Sevy,” she said.  “It's all so enormous and new.  I find it intimidating.”

“You intimidated?  Never.  You're just not thinking about it from the right perspective.  You always believe that you have to be perfect at everything before you have even tried it once.  Don't worry.  People will help you and teach you.  You will always have your parents.  And, of course, I'm not going anywhere.”  He smiled at her and she mirrored the grin back to him.

“I know deep down, but sometimes I get all wrapped up and lose focus.  So it's still nice to hear.”

“I love you,” he said, “More than I ever have anyone else in my life.  If you ever need to hear it, just tell me, but really you should already know.”

“I always hoped, but just about gave up believing, that there could ever truly be love like this,” Bethany said.  

They looked into each other's trembling eyes for many moments then began kissing tenderly.  Severus rolled Bethany over in his arms so that he was on top of her.  He started giving her light kisses all across her face and neck.  They felt like little butterflies against her skin.  She had on a nightgown which he pulled down to expose her shoulders and continued the light kissing.  Then he unbuttoned the top, which only went down three buttons, to expose her chest.  He kissed and licked, blowing gently over her skin, which made her shiver.  

Then Bethany helped him pull the nightgown off over her head.  She was completely naked beneath.  Severus continued to kiss her chest but moved to her breasts, fondling them and licking them one at a time.  He suckled on her nipples which made her sigh.   Severus admired the graceful curves of her breasts.  They were just the right size, each one a handful for his large hands.  Her breasts were sumptuously rounded with pert pink nipples that flushed to a light mauve whenever he stimulated them.  

He spent a long time just sucking and licking each nipple, while using wetted fingers to graze over, rub, pluck, and twist the other depending on the intensity with which he was giving attention to the first one.  He loved to wet them with his tongue then blow warm air over them so he could watch them rise and fill out like the tiny pink buds of flowers preparing to open.

After a while of this teasing, Bethany insisted that Severus take off his clothes too.  She desired warm skin to skin contact.  He had to roll over next to her to take his pants off and she took the opportunity to lay her head on his chest before he could move back into a position on top of her.  She began kissing and sucking on his neck, then licked her way down his chest and across his nipples.

“Hey,” he said with a shiver.  “That tickles.”

“It does to me too but it feels awfully good if you let it.”

“But I'm a guy.”

“Oh, please!  Don't let that stop you from enjoying this.  You are also a mammal, so you have nipples.  Just relax and drop all preconceived notions of what a man 'ought to' enjoy for a short time.”

“Okay,” Severus said, sounding unsure.

Bethany began licking harder on his left nipple, then blew on it.  Severus shivered again.  Then she began sucking.  He seemed to be responding to this, so she opened her mouth and bit the area around the nipple relatively hard.  He moaned.  She swirled her tongue inwards until it was on point on his hard nipple.  Next, she sucked just on the peak and bit ever so lightly.  The reactions she was getting suggested he was really enjoying himself as he gasped and squirmed.  So she did the same to the other nipple, taking a cue from him to keep stimulating the first one as well.  

He tilted his head back on the pillow in pleasure, his mouth open and wordless.  She grazed her fingernails down his neck to his chest and he gasped.  Bethany moved her hand beneath her breast which was pressed against his upper abs and continued her gentle raking down to his intensely hard organ.  She wanted to say, 'See, I knew it would feel good.'  But she didn't dare stop.  She grabbed his hardness in her hand and began slowly moving the soft, malleable skin up and down.       

After she handled his shaft a few moments, she let a long stroke carry her to the tip which she deftly brushed her fingers across.  She did the same beneath the head, putting more pressure on his most sensitive spot and rubbing it lightly for a while.  Severus was practically flailing at this point.  It had been a long time since Bethany had worked him over with just her hands and she wondered how the sensations were different between that and being inside of her in various ways.  Sometimes she liked just to be manually stimulated because Severus was so dexterous with his hands.  She wondered if he felt the same way about her.  Bethany decided to see if she could bring him to climax this way.  

She began moving faster as she manipulated him.  Just when he seemed to have adjusted to that pace she sped up.  She made sure to nip and lick his nipples every once and a while, paying them some attention the whole time.  As Bethany moved Severus's manhood through her hand she had a great desire to suck on it.  But she resolutely kept on wielding his wand because she wanted to see if she was still good with her hands.  She did the trick of tracing over the tip and under the head again, leaving her thumb over his tender spot while she continued pumping with the rest of her hand.  

Severus started to say something very quickly but it was garbled.  “That's, oh, enough... you'd better, oh... oh, no, I'm go-oh-ing to...”

Well, Bethany knew what that meant.  She pulled her mouth away from his nipple, grabbed it instead with her other hand and pinched his nipple between her fingers.  At the same time, she ducked down and put her mouth around the head of Severus's cock just in time.  The geyser of cum struck the roof of her mouth before pooling at the back of her tongue. She sucked all the creaminess that came pouring out of him.  He yelled loudly, as he felt every sensitive spot on his body being stimulated at once.  His orgasm was so intense it left him heaving for air and unable to speak for a couple of minutes.  Bethany looked up at him and smiled.  He stared back at her unblinking, not realizing what she had just done.   

When his voice came back he asked, “Did you just... did you just do what I think you just did?”

“What?” she said coyly.  “Bring you to climax with my hands and by playing with your nipples?  Or catch your cum in my mouth with perfect timing?”

Severus, who wasn't used to her saying many dirty words, especially not 'cum,' just shook his head in disbelief and said, “Yeah, either of those.”  

He rolled his face over into the pillow and moaned.  Bethany pulled herself up along side him and kept kissing his cheek until he showed his face again.  

“What's the matter?” she asked, looking at his tired expression.

“Just a little worn out.  I can't imagine why,” he replied.  “But, no, really, it's your birthday.  I should be pleasuring you.”

“Oh, trust me.  I derived a great deal of pleasure from that.”  She winked.

“You know what I mean.  And now I'm exhausted.”

“You're young.  I have faith in you,” she said, playfully patting him on the shoulder.  She curled up next to him and snuggled in.

After a few minutes she said, “Actually, you're at your sexual peak.  I won't hit mine until I'm in my thirties.”

“Oh, god!” Severus moaned. “I don't think I will be able to keep up with you then.”

She laughed a silvery laugh like wind chimes.  “Sure you will.  Just think, you'll be much more practiced and have even better control.  We'll just have to keep up your stamina... which... from what I feel against my hip right now shouldn't be a problem for a very long time.”

Nibbling her neck and ear, he whispered, “Your confidence in me always turns me on so much.”

He rolled her onto her stomach and began kissing his way from the nape of her neck down her back over her buttocks and all the way to behind each knee.  He began to lick and suck his way back up, which tickled her a great deal.  Next, Severus gave her a full body massage.  He started with her shoulders and back but enjoyed touching her so much that he went the full route and massaged her arms and legs then turned her over to reach her front.  This side of her was a bit distracting, however, and he found the massage turning sexual. 'Oh well,' he thought 'A full body massage might as well include an internal massage.'

He was playing with her breasts again, his mouth on one, one hand on the other, while his free hand felt its way down to her mound and his fingers parted her lips to get at her clitoris.  All three hot spots being so inflamed with passion made her jerk and moan.  She could barely contain her enthusiasm and cried out for more.  So Severus kept his thumb on her clit and slid two fingers into her wet womanhood.  He kept up a decent pace with her writhing and tightening against his fingers.  Then he increased his speed and started rubbing back and forth as well as up and down with his thumb.  

She climaxed suddenly, like lighting, but he kept going.  In a minute she had another orgasm.  He could smell the fragrance of her sex now and it drove him to distraction.  He lowered his mouth and began lapping up the juices from her climaxes.  He licked and sucked on her clit and put his fingers inside her once more, pumping away.  Then he pulled his fingers out, slick with her juices.  He switched to the other hand and began thrusting his way inside her as he licked furiously at her clit.  He reached the wetted fingers around to the back of her and began swirling and prodding at her forbidden entrance.  The sensation sent tremors over her and caused a bolt of fire to shoot to her sex.  He continued gently pushing and probing until he had gotten one finger inside of her.  He worked it for a minute and then added the second finger.  Now she had two fingers in front, two in back and a thumb rubbing her clit, for he had stopped licking to watch her face.  

She was moaning hysterically and Severus could tell that if he sped up at all she would have another orgasm.  But he continued slowly and held her at the edge for a while longer.  Her face tensed up as did her legs.  Inside, he could feel her squeezing against all four of his fingers.  He finally decided to thrust faster.  She began rocking her pelvis in time with him.

He whispered, “Be a good girl and cum for me.”

That did it.  She loved when he talked to her like that   She clamped down on his fingers and suddenly they were all wetter than usual.  She released and clamped over and over.  It took more than a minute for her orgasm to die down.  Then she lay motionless except for heavy sighing.  He slowly pulled out and her hips jerked, sighing once more.  The experience had been incredible.  But in a few minutes she would want more.

After they lay there strumming each other's bodies gently with their hands for a while, Bethany said softly, “I want you... now.”

“Well, I must oblige the birthday girl.  How do you want it?”

“Just, make love to me slowly for a while.”

So Severus kissed her deeply and ran his hands over her breasts.  He moved so that he was on top of her and began gently kissing and sucking on her neck, blowing lightly in her ears.  Then he kissed her mouth, pushing his tongue deeply and, at the same time, slid his hard member into her welcoming warmth and wetness.  

He whispered in her ear, “I love being inside of you.”  

Bethany moaned, shivering, both from the feeling of him and his words.  She began to really think about him inside her—the fullness, the movement, the significance.  She made herself be extra aware of each moment that was occurring.  She felt everything more keenly—every motion from below, every breath, every trace of fingertips, even her own internal reactions.  Soon she wanted to experiment with this new consciousness-heightened stimuli.

She whispered to Severus, “You can go faster and harder now.”

Severus enjoyed slowly making love to Bethany, caressing her face and kissing her, moving in the languid, dreamy fashion of romance.  However, Severus was also a man and so craved as much stimulation as possible.  So he gladly obliged her.  After several minutes of working her in this manner, he started experimenting with positions.  He placed one of her pale smooth legs over his shoulder while keeping the other one down.  The result was that she felt tighter, which was better for both of them.  Severus made the most delicious noises as he thrust into her.  

She listened to him eagerly, as his noises of delight turned her on even more.  Bethany received a thrill knowing that she could cause her lover to make involuntary, ecstatic noises.  The sighing, heavy breathing, deep moaning, and crying out all aroused her to the highest pitch.  She was watching his face intently when she could.  However, this position felt so good that she often closed her eyes tightly, bearing down against the sensation of him inside her.  It felt so good she screamed.  When she wasn't making loud sounds she was making softer noises between her panting breath.  Severus found this incredibly sexy.

Severus's face looked like he was in divine agony, which he was.  He would not forget this position but had to switch soon or their session would be over.  Suddenly, Bethany bucked in orgasm because she was still concentrating on all the sensations in her body.  Plus that position felt fabulous.  Severus, almost caught off guard, had to hold back with all of his will power not to finish right then.  Fortunately, he had a very strong will and a few unsexy thoughts, such as the upcoming N.E.W.T.s, spinach, werewolves, Quidditch, and class with Professor Binns, at the ready for cases in which he needed to extend the time of his sexual bonding with Bethany.  

Still, he quickly unhooked her leg from his shoulder, moving it to lay on her right leg so that she was turned on her side.  This pressed her internal walls firmly against his member.  He paused a moment to catch his breath and so that both of them could enjoy the new feeling.  Soon, however, he was thrusting into her while still on his knees.  The curve of her hip was just right to grab from this angle and her breasts bounced delightfully as he rammed into her while she screamed.  He was able to place a finger between her lips to rub her clit while he was thrusting.  This felt so wonderful to Bethany that within a minute she began to climax again.  

Severus couldn't hold back his release much longer.  His face was in a pained expression while his mouth hung open and he panted heavily.

“Aren't you going to ask me where I want it?” Bethany asked nymphishly.

“Huh?” was all he was able to say at the time.

“In my mouth,” she said.  And just so he wouldn't have to waste any energy thinking about what she meant, she added, “I want you to pull out and finish in my mouth.”

Well, that statement was obvious and it was also the last encouragement he needed to push him over the edge.  He looked at her mouth, lips reddened from sexual excitement.  Oh, he wanted her to take it there.  Yes.  Suddenly he said, “Okay, now.”  

As he withdrew, she whipped around and grabbed his cock. Stroking the shaft with her hand, she put her mouth over the head and sucked with force.  Without a moment to spare, she felt the throb of his member and his liquid essence moved up the shaft and splashed into her mouth.  Again and again his lust's release splattered her tongue and filled her mouth, tasting delicious as always.  She swallowed and sucked more, this time letting her tongue flick underneath the head where his sensitive spot was.  She received another gush as reward for that action.  

Severus was on his knees with his hands out to his sides, leaning back with his face upturned to the ceiling.  With every convulsion, his body lurched forward and Bethany saw that his eyes were closed as though he was in some far away Elysium.  The beauty of it, however, was that although he was in transport, he was also right there with her and she was cause for his ecstasy.  Bethany was rather proud of herself.

---

After a short rest, they put their clothes on and went downstairs to the kitchen.  On the table was a vase filled with white calla lilies.  

“Oh,” Bethany gasped.  She turned to Severus as though to ask if he had bought them or her parents had.  He nodded.  “They're beautiful,” she said and went up to smell their aroma.  

“That's not all,” said Severus.  “Those are only nine of them.”  He pointed to the living room.   When she walked in she saw all the decorations for her birthday with streamers of blue and silver, balloons that had the number 17 printed on them, and giant banner that read Happy 17th Birthday, Bethany in letters that scrolled across the banner.  Among all the decorations she spotted eight more calla lilies in a vase on the mantel.  

“I thought seventeen would be a good number—one lovely flower for every precious year of your life.”  

“Oh, Sevy, I love you so much.”  She cast her arms around his neck and kissed his face all over, ending with his lips.

“Now,” he said once the kiss was over.  “It's time for me to make your breakfast.  I would have brought it to you in bed but I didn't know what you wanted and, well, I had other plans for the use of the bed first.”  He smiled devilishly.

He took her request as he washed his hands.  Although she only asked for some sausage, eggs and toast, he also brought her a plate of sliced fruit.  In a heart-shaped outline were slices of richly red strawberry, the next inner row consisted of slices of orange, then fresh yellow pineapple, followed by ripe green kiwi.  Arranged in the center were blueberries and at the core were some purple grapes.  He had made a heart-shaped fruit plate from a literal rainbow of colored fruit.  

“Awww,” sighed Bethany.  “We definitely have to get a picture of this.”

“It's just fruit though.  It doesn't move.”   

“I don't care.  It's special and it's from you on my birthday.”

“Alright,” he shrugged, grabbing the wizard camera from the counter where it had been set for the pre-party, family-only celebration. “Should I take a picture of the sausage too?”

Bethany just shook her head but couldn't keep from smiling.

---

After breakfast they went out into the garden behind the house and made love in the flower bed.  Severus sprinkled blue petals all over Bethany's naked body, which almost glowed white among the bright colors of the surrounding flowers.  He took a picture of her laughing and catching some of the petals in her hand, then kissing one and blowing it back at him.

“This one is going in the Keep Safe box,” he said, “It is very artistic.”

“How many naked pictures do you have of me in that box now?” she asked tauntingly.

“I don't know,” Severus said, innocently, “I lost count after twenty or so.”

“Oh did you?” she said.  “Well you had better make sure you don't leave one lying out somewhere.  That would get us both in trouble.”

“Why?”  He lay down in her beckoning arms.  “We're both adults now.  We can take naked pictures of each other if we want.  We can drink if we want to.  We could even get married now if we want to.”  He looked her directly in the eyes as he said this and saw the sweet surprise reflected back at him.

“We could,” she said matter-of-factly.  “Are you proposing?”

“Are you accepting?” he asked with a mischievous grin.

“I can only accept once I've been asked.  And that wasn't rightly a question.”

“I have more class than to propose to you without a ring and while you are naked in your parent's backyard.  I was just broaching the subject as something to think about.  When I ask, it will be planned out and perfect.”

“When you ask?” she repeated his words.  “Does that mean I should be deciding on my answer?” she said with a laugh.

“Don't laugh,” Severus said, sounding a little downcast.  “I'm being serious.”

“Oh, I know you are, Darling.  I'm just... I guess I'm just taken by surprise.  And I'm laughing because it's so obvious what my answer would be that it doesn't even need to be said.  But I agree that this is not the right . . . atmosphere, although it is romantic in its own way.  I do think we should at least get through school first and find stable jobs.  We only have one more year at Hogwarts.  Just think, we'll really feel like adults once we're not in school!”

“Let's take a walk through the field,” Severus said somewhat absently.  Then he looked at Bethany.  “That way I can ravish you among the golden wheat.”

“Okay,” she said brightly.

And so they did.

---

Later that day, they went horseback riding to a pond not too far from Bethany's house.  They played in the water, diving in, splashing each other, chasing each other, and finally laying out on a very large, flat rock to warm up in the sun.  Of course, they ended up making love there too and decided that that was the least comfortable place so far that they had ever consummated their passion.

The afternoon was getting on and they were sure Bethany's parents would be home already.  So they rode back to the stables, handed the horses over to the groom, and went to the house.  

Guests were due to arrive at nine o'clock.  The young lovers still had time for a quick dinner with Bethany's parents.  At supper Bethany bragged about the calla lilies, which her parents knew of, and the heart-shaped fruit platter, which they did not know of but were impressed by.

After dinner, Bethany's parents gave her the presents they had bought for her.  The main gift was a floor length purple satin evening gown.  It had a low cut back, a v-cut front, and three thin straps on each side to go over her shoulders.  Attached to the back with faux orchids was a length of lavender chiffon which hung down from the back of the straps, long and breezy, extending far enough to whisper over the floor.  Her parents also presented her with a silver pair of opera length gloves and silver slippers to match.  They said the ensemble was for special occasions.  Then they surprised her by telling her she could wear it for the cotillion ball being held in her honour that night downstairs in the hall.  

Bethany was overjoyed.  She had been fitted for the dress months earlier.  It was to be for operas and the symphony.  However, she had not known they had planned a surprise dance for her party.  She was worried that she would be overdressed.  But her parents assured her that they had told her guests the party would be a formal ball so they all knew how to dress.  Severus was as surprised as Bethany was.  He was secretly thankful for all the dance lessons they had attended.  However, he didn't know what he was going to wear.  Seemingly out of no where, Mrs. Wright produced a black tuxedo with tails for Severus.  She told him it was made of a special cloth that tailored itself to the wearer.  

Severus stumbled over a thank you, which the Wrights waved away.  Then he and Bethany were sent upstairs to get ready.  The whole time he was dressing and combing his hair, Severus was thinking about how perfectly his two gifts would match Bethany's new dress.  He finished a long time before she did, even with her mother helping her do her hair.

When Bethany came down the stairs she looked like a vision.  Severus blinked twice to make sure he was awake.  She had her hair falling down in large golden coils that were pinned in the back with an ebony clip.  She was wearing makeup, which was rare, and the subtle shades of color brought out her eyes and lips while delicately rouging her porcelain pale cheeks.  She looked like a little girl's grown-up doll.  If she hadn't been treading carefully down the stairs, Severus would have thought she was an alabaster statue or a life sized portrait of a princess.  She came down smiling at all the compliments that her mother was barraging her with.  Even her father joined in.  

Severus still couldn't find any words until she came directly over to him and stood before him to admire him.  He bowed.  He couldn't help it.  She looked like royalty.  Her eyes lit on fire with that familiar appreciative yet lustful look that he knew so well but hoped her parents wouldn't recognize.

“Don't you look dashing in that tuxedo?” she said.  “Not that you aren't always the handsomest man in the room.  But now I'm afraid to let my girlfriends near you.”

“You have nothing to fear on that account, My Love.  I couldn't see any other girls except for you, even if there were a room full of them.”  He stepped forward and kissed her lightly on the cheek and she returned the kiss.  “You look gorgeous,” he whispered in her ear before he stepped back.

“My little girl, all grown up,” sniffled Elena Wright.

“Yes,” said Richard Wright, “And she's still an angel, just like when she was younger and she was My Little Angel.  Only she's taller now.”  He laughed and his wife smiled, dabbing at her eyes.

Severus thought to himself.  'She does look like the Queen of Angels.'  Yet at the same time he thought, 'It's a good thing her father doesn't know that I ravished his Little Angel under the wisteria vine out in the back garden earlier.  Nor does he have a clue what that same angel did to me out in the fields today and down by the pond only a few hours ago.'  Severus was amused by those thoughts, but they also made him nervous.  At first he had wanted to laugh at the secret, but then thought better of it and just smiled.

He decided it was a good time to give Bethany her presents.  She opened the wrapping paper to find a silver necklace hung with a silver star pendant that actually twinkled very subtly and a silver crescent moon comb, which magically went through all the moon's phases, to match.  Bethany's eyes sparkled as she held the beautiful jewelry.  She told Severus she loved them both and hugged him tightly.

“Did you all plan this together?” she asked.  “Because everything matches perfectly.”  She had already insisted that she lose the ebony clip and styled her hair to the side instead, using the moon comb to keep her hair back from her face.

The two men stood and exchanged looks as the two women fussed and fretted over how to get Bethany's hair just right.  

Richard Wright shrugged.  “We love them anyway, right?”

Severus smiled and nodded.

“After all, they do it to impress us, no matter how long it takes.”  He looked at his wrist watch.

Severus looked at his too.  It was the one Bethany had given him.  He smiled ignoring the fuss in the background as he read the clock's words for the hundredth time.

Just then the doorbell rang.  The guests were starting to arrive.  Within half an hour the hall downstairs was packed with people.  They were all talking and laughing.  Some of the girls Severus knew from school.  The others must have been childhood friends of hers.  He didn't recognize many of the girls' dates.  Bethany took Severus along with her while she mingled, introducing him to everyone alternately as “my handsome... my loving... my darling...” or “my amazing boyfriend, Severus Snape.”  She told certain special people about the flowers, the breakfast, the necklace, and the comb.  One girl whose name he forgot among all the others had heard the story of the poetry book.  

“Oh,” said the girl, “Those poems were beautiful.”  To Bethany she added, “He's definitely a keeper.”  

Severus thought he saw the girl wink at Bethany but he was too distracted by the girl's words. “Poems.  Plural.  I thought that we discussed...”

“Yes, well, she is a marvelous poet herself and a dear old friend of mine,” Bethany said, steering Severus by the arm away to another group of people.

Soon, the chandelier was lowered and lit as were the tall candelabras.  Music began playing and everyone found a dance partner.  The dancing continued until late into the night.  Severus and Bethany decided their dancing instruction was very timely, indeed.  Bethany secretly wondered if this ball was the reason her parents had suggested dancing lessons.  The two young lovers danced almost all the dances together, except for one that Bethany danced with her father and that Severus asked Elena Wright to dance.  They also had to take breaks to eat snacks, drink champagne, socialize, and find little nooks in which to kiss and fondle.

“I can't wait until the ball is over.  I want to be with you so badly,” Bethany whispered.

“I know,” Severus said, “I get to make love to a princess tonight.”  He rubbed his thumb across her cheek and kissed her.  They were both intoxicated with champagne and shared one thought on their minds.

Confetti fell when the dance was over as everyone sang “Happy Birthday” to Bethany.  Mr. Wright made a short speech.  Then they cut the triple layer chocolate fudge cake.  Everyone had a serving and more champagne.  By the end of the night everything was getting a little hazy for Bethany.  Fortunately, Severus had a higher tolerance.  When the guests had all departed, the household immediately went to bed.  But not everyone went to sleep or even undressed for bed.

---

Severus carried Bethany to her room and laid her down on her bed.  He closed the door but she was still so giggly that he had to tell her twice to be more quiet.  He wanted to make love to her while she was still dressed up.  She agreed so long as he stayed dressed in his fine tuxedo as well.  

So he felt like a thief and a prince as he lifted up the skirt of the princess's ballroom gown, slid off her pretty panties, and pulled his member out of his pants.  He lay on top of her, kissing her as his hardness pressed against her thigh, then her womanhood.  He used one hand to guide himself as he pushed inside her.  They both gasped with pleasure.  Though they stayed in this position trying not to make much noise, after they were done it still looked as if Severus had ravaged a life-sized figurine.  Bethany's hair had fallen down, becoming disheveled.  Her lipstick was smeared.  Her dress was wrinkled and its straps were pulled down.  And there was a stain from their combined juices on the inside of her new formal gown that would be quickly Scourgified.

Before, he cleaned it, Severus looked down at Bethany, the way she lay wantonly like a used doll.  Secretly, it turned him on to see her so tousled and to know he had done it to her.  He had snuck into the castle and ravaged the princess.  Whereas, an hour ago she was like an untouchable vision, he had grabbed her and brought her beauty down to a human kind of imperfection.  She still looked lovely, but now she looked 'taken' and he was proud that he had the power to muss her up and yet have her enjoy it.  It gave him a feeling of domination like a panther over his prey.  He could never express how he felt to her so that she wouldn't be offended.  He wasn't even sure that he liked feeling so aroused by it.  But he couldn't help it.  

Then he helped her out of her clothes after taking off his own.  Looking at her, naked and disheveled only aroused him more so he had another go with her, even though she said she was getting tired.  They finally fell asleep by accident, naked in each other's arms and slept all night together.

When they woke up in the morning, they thought at first they had just taken a nap.  Slowly, through the hazy recollections of newly awakened minds, they remembered the party and realized that Severus had never gone back to his room the night before.  They panicked until he remembered that he had at least had the forethought to shut his bedroom door.  They just had to dress and sneak out of Bethany's bedroom unnoticed.  Bethany went first to bring Severus a new set of clothes from the other room.  She discovered that her parents’ bedroom was open and she heard no noise from downstairs.  Apparently, they had already gone to work.  

All day Severus and Bethany, though pleased by the fact that they were able to sleep the night together, were worried that her parents knew.  However, if they Wrights had any suspicions about the matter they benevolently never mentioned them and they continued to treat Severus as they always had.

---

School began with fall.  It was Severus's and Bethany's last year, and they made the most of it by studying hard and playing harder.  Bethany kept up her drawing and Severus his poetry, giving their creations to each other often.  They visited Hogsmeade regularly and celebrated every event whether large or small, personal or social with intensity.  They had to keep buying new photo albums because of all the memories they made.  

When N.E.W.T.s time came, they were mildly distracted because they were planning their first summer as adults together.  Still they studied hard and passed the tests with good marks.  Then they were free to make plans for the future.  They graduated from Hogwarts and dreamed big on the threshold of a whole new life.

Continued in A Life of Love III. Hearts Engaged

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