She walked into the apothecary, smiling cheerfully. The bell jingled as she stepped inside, alerting him of her smirk presence. He walked out to the shop front and greeted her with a and a nod. She nodded back, walking across the counter and keepin her bag down.
She sometimes still found it difficult to believe that the shop, their shop, was up and running. It was almost like a dream come true. When she had first suggested the idea, he had discarded it completely. It had taken a lot of convincing for her to get him to agree to it, and even then he had only been willing to try it for a month.
They had bought a small place in Hogsmeade, and a few expandable charms later, it was big enough for an apothecary and a lab for them to brew in. She had promised that she would take care of the portion of their business that involved interacting with other people, and she was true to her word. Besides, she knew the prejudices of the wizarding world well enough. People would be far more likely to buy potions sold by a member of the famous Golden Trio, than a former Death Eater, even though her husband had been cleared of the charges long ago.
And so their little shop had been off to a great start, with her marketing and his brewing. Withing weeks, even St Mungo's and Hogwarts were both sourcing their stock from them. Hermione knew Severus was secretly pleased to finally be able to put his potion making skills to good use, even though he would never tell her as much. The proud gleam in his eye as he brewed each batch to be shipped off, was more than enough confirmation.
Their schedules were so arranged to leave them more than enough time to spend with each other, relax, as well as try their hands at brewing new things. Hermione sometimes helped Severus with that, and this was one of her favorite moments of their day. They would spend hours buried in books, trying to find new ingredients, while basking in each other's company as well. Occasionally, they would be bent over adjacent cauldrons, trying to ensure that the potions were that one perfect colour. She had never enjoyed brewing as much as she did now.
At the end of the first month, Severus had not brought up the fact that they only had a deal for those four weeks, and so Hermione had understood that he wanted to continue the endeavour. She had considered teasing him about it, but eventually decided to drop the matter, lest he change his mind, though she knew he wasn't likely to.
As she walked over to the door and switched the sign to "open", she knew she really did have everything she wanted.
Notes: For TGS Scavenger Hunt!