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Hermione jumped as a warm knit blanket was draped over her shoulders. Lucius pretended not to notice, settling himself in the chair beside her. He didn’t speak, or even look at her, a small mercy that she took gratefully.
“It’s my grandparent’s anniversary,” she said after a while, her eyes trained unseeingly on the dark horizon beyond the large window. “My mum’s parents. They died when I was young, but I don’t think I’ll ever forget how much they loved each other.”
A soft smile graced his lips, and from the corner of her eye, she saw him relax further into the leather armchair, as if reassured by her words.
“Can I sit with you?” He simply opened his arms, and she slid into his lap, nestling her head into the curve of his neck. His arms came around her, and she sighed happily.
“Is Severus still asleep?”
“Doubtful, he’s always been a rather light sleeper.” That it was in part due to his role in the war was left unsaid.
“I didn’t mean to wake you both,” she whispered mournfully, but he shook his head, pressing his lips to her crown.
“We’re well-versed in the art of sleepless nights, and have been for some time. Don’t worry about us.”
She stayed quiet after that, absentmindedly fingering the blanket he’d wrapped around her. He simply held her, seemingly content to leave her to her thoughts.
She only noticed they’d been joined when Lucius tilted his head in invitation to Severus. He sat in Hermione’s abandoned chair, silently moving it closer when she reached out for him while still in the comfort of Lucius’ arms.
***
Severus lit the fire with a flick of his wand, and Hermione looked around from her place curled up on the sofa. He motioned for her to move over, and he sat beside her without a word. She lay her head against his thigh, and his hand immediately tangled in her curls.
“Is Lucius awake?”
“Of course he is,” came the short, yet not harsh reply that she’d have expected months before.
She sighed, but didn’t apologise. Severus wouldn’t abide it, and she didn’t want to lose the hand that combed through her hair, massaging the tension from her scalp with talented fingers.
“I wanted to be a doctor. When I was a child, I mean. Before I knew I was a witch.” His fingers never stilled, but she stayed quiet.
“My mother was a witch, but I never considered that I’d have the opportunity to not be my father until I reached Hogwarts.” Severus rarely spoke of his parents, so she stayed quiet, wondering if he would say more.
A while later when he spoke again, she thought her patience had been rewarded. “And then there’s our resident peacock.” It was said without malice, but had the intended effect, drawing Lucius into the light cast by the low fire.
“We have many peacocks in residence but I fail to see how it relates to your childhoods” Lucius said lightly, and Hermione snorted into Severus’s thigh.
“At least it’s a pretty peacock,” she mumbled, earning an eye roll from Lucius and a chuckle from Severus.