The only sounds in the dungeon office were the soft hiss of the cauldron and the relentless, rhythmic shuff-shuff-shuff of worn cardstock. The hour was late, the castle asleep, but she had chosen to stay in his domain, a fact that sent a quiet thrill of possessiveness through his omega blood.

Severus held a red quill over a dreadful essay, but the scrawl was a blur. His entire focus was claimed by the alpha in the armchair by the fire, by the small, battered box of Herbology flashcards in her capable hands. The box was ancient, well-used, and seeing her handle something with such practiced familiarity felt intimately revealing.

She shuffled the deck with a fluid, confident motion, a sound that was becoming a hypnotic ritual. Then she began. "Mugwort." A flick of her wrist. "Peppermint." Another. "Valerian." The names were a steady, unbroken litany falling from her lips. She didn't hesitate. She knew. This was not the frantic cramming of a student, but the assured recall of a born mistress of her craft.

After a time, she switched methods. Now, looking only at the illustrations, she recited the uses from pure memory. "Promotes peaceful sleep... soothes digestive ailments... sedative properties..." Her voice was a low, focused hum, each fact delivered with unerring accuracy. It was a display of raw, disciplined intellect, and his omega side perceived it not as academic diligence, but as the most potent form of alpha competence—a mind of formidable, reliable strength.

He felt his own breathing sync to the rhythm she set, his body responding to her display of mastery with a deep, instinctual reverence. This was the true magic, far more compelling than any spell. This was the quiet power that made his inner omega want to yield, to present, to offer his own sharp mind in tribute to hers. The quill was motionless in his hand, a drop of ink pooling, forgotten, on the parchment. His voice, when it finally escaped, was a hushed, reverent breath, a submissive acknowledgment of her superior discipline

"Few students bother with such... thoroughness."