When she crept back into their shared quarters, heart hammering, narrowly avoiding Alecto Carrow on the second floor, she knew Severus would be waiting up for her. The idea of him being there, purposefully waiting, was novel and thrilling; so much time had been spent studiously avoiding each other, flinching away from each other’s shadows, wanting as little contact as possible. It felt dreamlike to imagine that he would be waiting—and yet, she knew he would be.