Jar of Hearts
A/N; As Expected I own nothing.
The idea for this story came to me while listening the Christina Perri's Jar of Hearts and the rest just happened.
Hermione had known when they had spoken a few months ago that he was a damaged, unhappy man. She had been a damaged, unhappy woman herself, what with Ron walking out on her because she was "cold" and needed to move past the war.
She had been staying in a drafty room in the Leaky Cauldron, living out of suitcases. Suitcases that held the last decade of her life. A boring life with Ronald. A boring life at the ministry where she had worked mindlessly with Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt and made sure Ron had dinner when he came home late with the rest of the Aurors. Even ten years later they were still rounding up people trying to finish the Dark Lord's work. The Wizarding World as a whole thought things were just perfect now that the Dark Lord was gone. There weren't attacks every day now but the Order hadn't disbanded and still met weekly, meaning something was still going on. Even the "Golden Trio" didn't fully understand and they were now full-fledged members. It was a testament to the confusion without Albus' all-knowing presence.
Coming back from a blasted Order meeting is what had started all this trouble for Hermione in the first place. She had left Grimmauld Place in a hurry. She and Ron still weren't able to be in the same room without him inserting his foot in his mouth and Hermione giving him what for. When she flew through the door of the Leaky Cauldon she had collided directly with someone's familiar scent. It was the smell of a hundred potions ingredients. A scent that even as Hermione and Madam Pomfrey had spent weeks nursing the man back to health years ago had still stuck to him. The snake bite has nearly killed him and if not for Fawkes' last sacrifice he would have been.
He looked more relaxed even if he had still sneered at Hermione for her obvious clumsiness. There was some kind of light dancing in his eyes. "Pr-professor, I'm so sorry" She had stumbled. He nodded his head dismissively at her. He had been declared a war hero, against his wishes, after Dumbledore's portrait had disclosed the location of important memories that cleared his name.
"Mrs. Weasley-," he had begun and she quickly told him it was no longer Weasley. Surely he knew, Ron's leaving had been plastered all over the Daily Prophet and she had been made to look like an incompetent wife as Ronald had disclosed his reasons for leaving. She had barely been able to show her face at work and if not for Kingsley's unwavering support she may have left the Wizarding World all together. "Miss Granger then, I was actually searching for you, I assumed you would have returned from the Order meeting sooner…can we take a seat somewhere?"
Hermione was confused but had followed Snape as he stopped by the bar and ordered two Firewhiskeys from an even more ancient looking Tom. They had took a seat in a far corner of the bar. He had proceeded to thank her for nursing him back to health and explained that he had left the Wizarding World after his name was cleared and was only then heading back to Hogwarts. They had sat and talked and he had explained how things had been for him while serving two masters. The drunker they had gotten the more he told her. She had realized at some point he needed to tell someone and what friends did he have after twenty years of keeping everyone at arm's length.
She had awoken the next morning to nothing more than a note on her pillow, "I'm Sorry" was all it read. Hermione had been so angry that the next time he knocked on the door of her new Diagon Alley flat she had flat out refused to speak to him. She was a strong independent witch and no snarky arse was going to make her feel weak. The problem was when she woke up the next morning he was still patiently standing there, she let him in for tea, what harm could tea cause?
Severus, she had taken to calling him this by the end of tea, just needed somebody then and so did she. Well to make a long story short the school year started and he was gone, no owls, no firecalls, nothing. She was left to remedy the feeling she had developed on her own. Even with the war over, Severus was not an affection man. They took what they could from each other and left it at that.
Now Hermione was standing in Headmistress McGonagall's office, she had accepted the transfiguration position because the last Professor had suddenly disappeared (something the Order was attempting to figure out) and Hermione could no longer stand to watch Ron strut through the Ministry with the real reason he had left her. That reason was 5'9, blonde, and dumb enough to believe Ron was a man worth catching. 'Good riddance' Hermione reminded herself.
The Headmistress had just got done explaining to Hermione where her rooms were and that she was required to be at two meals in the Great Hall each day unless she had arranged differently with McGonagall herself. "Now Hermione, we have a staff meeting in fifteen minutes if you will just follow me." Hermione had dreaded this moment, the moment where she had to face Severus again and pretend she was not bothered at all by his inability to end things like an adult. These are the thoughts that consumed her on the way to the elusive staff room…