Black Eyed Boy

16

The next few weeks passed by quickly, Severus thought. Upon his return from Malfoy Manor, he had thought it would be wise to avoid Olivia for a few days, just to see if the warm feeling in his gut was genuine or if it was just due to the shag.

Unfortunately, the feelings remained.

Bollocks.

He wasn't a complete idiot - he knew that the feeling deep down in his belly could bloom into something more than lust if he allowed it to happen. He just wasn't sure he wanted to.

He'd allowed a witch into his heart once and it was near-fatal. He wasn't sure he was willing to allow the risk of that pain again, no matter how funny or beautiful she was.

He hated to admit it, but he looked forward to their little brewing sessions - sporadic as they were; she'd just show up whenever she was running low on supplies. He found he enjoyed the surprise when he'd hear her knock on his door late at night.

Severus thought back to their first brewing session after Christmas. She had gone to his office the day after their separate parties and knocked quietly on the door. She had seemed nervous about seeing him. At the time, he mistook her bashfulness for regret.

They had begun to brew side by side in silence, he wasn't sure how to initiate conversation. Yes, they had been intimate, but once she left his little love nest, surely, she would have regretted her decision. That would have been the only explanation for the awkwardness surrounding them.

She had begun her brew while he was distracted with his own thoughts. It was only once he started to smell the vapors that he knew she was brewing a "morning after" potion.

Shite! Had she taken any contraceptive potion after their previous... encounters? Could that be why she was acting so distant?

Olivia smiled when she looked at him and saw all the color drain from his face.

"It's not for me, Severus," she giggled. "The party got a little carried away last night. I had a few students seek me out this morning asking me to brew for them, confidentially of course. You know how teenagers are..." she continued stirring, completely focused on her brew and not his face.

He cleared his throat, trying to gather some confidence so that his voice didn't quiver from the anxiety that was currently crippling him.

"B-but surely you... that is to say... perhaps..."

Fuck. You sound like a bloody fool.

Olivia giggled some more. "Relax, Severus. I take a muggle contraceptive. My mother's career choice as a physician saw to it that I was protected since I started my cycle".

Severus swallowed hard, relief flooding his system. "Apologies, Miss Wright. I suppose I got carried away the other night. How discourteous for me to not ascertain that you were protected".

"Merlin, Severus. Surely, you'll call me Olivia now? Or even Liv is ok," she teased. "You have seen me naked, the least you could do is act a bit more familiar".

They had teased and flirted with each other for the rest of the night, brewing together like they had in the beginning of the year.

There had been a few quick kisses here and there over the next few weeks, not to mention a few longer, more passionate, snogging sessions... but no more sex.

Due to the start of term, anytime things started to heat up between the two of them, something always interrupted - Filch banging on his door to complain...detentions...Mediwitch duties Olivia had... and, of course, Minerva being... Minerva.