AN: I don´t own Harry Potter and don´t make any profit.
So the sequel sets in, where we left Hermione and Severus, right after their first kiss.
Hermione and Severus were walking along the empty beach, their fingers intertwined, Hermione glancing over to Severus every so often. There was a huge smile plastered across his face, which made Hermione grin. Didn´t know he could smile that wide. It really suits him. She shivered. Man, it´s so cold today. Severus stopped, opened his duffle-coat, pulled her closer and wrapped the coat around her, holding onto her tightly.
"No firewhisky today?" she mumbled into his chest.
"No, sorry!" He smiled. "Do you wanna go back to the inn?"
"Yes, but can we have some coffee at the café, we passed on the way."
"Sure," Severus replied.
As they entered the café Severus smile was gone and he was back to his serious, slightly grim, expression. Hermione watched the shift in his emotion and sadness washed over her, but she tried not showing it to him. The café was a little worn down, but warm and friendly. Severus relaxed a bit and he ordered some tea for himself, while Hermione had a cappuccino and banoffee pie.
"Isn´t that really sweet?" he asked curiously, pointing to her plate.
"So?" she replied, her voice had some stubbornness and coolness to it.
"Everything alright?" Severus asked with furrowed brow, not knowing, what caused the change of atmosphere.
"Sorry, it´s just, my parents hardly allowed me any sweets. So now I always feel I´ve got to defend myself, when I´m eating something sweet. I really like sweets, maybe it comes from never being allowed many when I was young…" her voice trailed off.
"Hermione you don´t have to justify yourself because of me. I was just curious I never had banoffee pie." He took her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. Hermione smiled and pushed her plate across the table "You wanna try something?"
"Why not?" he replied, took a bite, shuddered and suddenly laughed.
"What?"
"Well I don´t know if I like it, or if it´s gross. It is very sweet, that´s for sure," and with that he pushed the plate back across the table.
Hermione ate her pie, while Severus sipped his tea, looking out of the window. The sea was still rough and the wind was blowing, so people walking by were struggling to walk straight, making Severus smile.
"Why are you smiling?"
"I don´t know. I think I feel content, I didn´t feel like this in a long time."
"I´m happy for you."
They both looked out of the window, when suddenly a ray of sun broke through the clouds, lighting up a patch of sea in the far distance.
"Wow, that´s beautiful!" Hermione gasped.
"As are you, Hermione." Severus gently touched her cheek.
"Thanks."
"So now that you finished school, what are your plans?"
"I´m not quite sure. I´ve got something in mind, but …" She looked at her hands.
"But what?"
"But it´s a bit embarrassing. I don´t want to tell you."
"More embarrassing than me telling you I want to be a healer."
"Yeah I think a lot."
"Come on Hermione, I´m now really curious and you know I´ll find out anyway, I´ve been a spy for a long time. I find out all the secrets, so you might as well tell me," Severus chuckled.
"Fine. But you aren´t allowed to laugh." She glared at him. I swear if he laughs I´m out of here. Ok … breath.
"I want to write a book."
"Wow! What about?" He gave her an admiring look.
"About the war."
"Fiction or non-fiction?"
"I´m not quite sure about that."
"Maybe a factual report, from your point of view," he suggested.
"I think that would be a good idea. I´ve alsobeen thinking about that already. So you don´t think I´m crazy?" She asked with a hopeful look in her eyes.
"No, I think you are quite capable of writing a book." He replied smiling at her.
"Well my book will better, than the ones Skeeter has written, that´s for sure." Hermione growled.
"Not hard to be," Severus smiled and realising what he just said he quickly added, "I mean your book will be so much better!"
They were walking back to the inn, when Hermione suddenly asked, "So you´ll find out all the secrets you said? Tell me some of the secrets you found about in your days as a spy?"
"You really wanna know?" he asked back. She nodded, expectantly looking up to him.
"Ok, but it has to stay a secret. Voldemort still has many followers," he said with a worried face.
"I promise my lips are sealed."
He grinned cheekily, "One time I walked in on him and Bellatrix … well you know."
"No you didn´t! What did he say?" Hermione looked at him with wide eyes.
"Do you really think I would be standing here, if he saw me?" Severus asked sarcastically, leaving Hermione no time to answer.
"But that´s not all," Severus paused theatrically, "He wasn´t able to … well let´s say perform properly." He chuckled.
"Poor Bellatrix," Hermione giggled, suddenly shuddering by the sheer memory of the vile woman.
"Say, wasn´t she married?" Hermione asked curiously.
"So? … Hermione you can´t be that naïve." Severus looked at her.
"Sorry," she shrugged her shoulders blushing.
"Aww … you´re sweet!" He flung his arm around her shoulder, pulled her closer and placed a kiss on her temple.
After they had dinner at the inn, they once again sat in the common room, Severus reading a book, Hermione feverishly scribbling in a notebook, in between she would turn the pages hastily back or forth. Every now and then she mumbled to herself, making Severus glance up every so often, getting annoyed by the minute.
"Will you stop that! I can´t concentrate. What are you doing anyways?" he grumbled.
"I´m working on my book and on my lessons I´ll be holding at Hogwarts and working out where I could find a job and I`m also making a to-do list."
"How can you do so many things at the same time?"
"I can´t, that´s why I´m writing it down, so I won´t forget anything."
"And that´s I guess is why you are mumbling to yourself?" he muttered.
"Sorry I won´t be talking to myself anymore," she said starting to scribble again. For a couple of minutes, there was silence except for her quill scratching over the paper.
"You´re doing it again." Severus growled.
"Sorry."
After five minutes Severus suddenly jumped up, making Hermione spill ink everywhere.
"Must get muggle pen", she mumbled to herself writing it down on her to-do list.
"I´ve had it with you! You mumbled again! I´m going to bed. This short-trip was for you to relax, not to start a new project," he huffed and was about to leave the room, when Hermione caught his wrist and forcefully pulled him back, making him fall back on the sofa with a loud yell, "Are you going to kill me. Ouch! That really hurt."
"Sorry. Please stay! Look I put the notebook and the quill away. I´m all yours!" Hermione smiled sweetly at him and snuggled into his side. He growled something to himself, but in the end put an arm around her and pulled her closer.
"Yes, I still can´t believe that," he mumbled into her hair.
"Well believe it mate, you are stuck with me and all my annoying habits," Hermione grinned at him.
"It seems so unreal to me," he stared into the fire.
"What? My annoying habit of mumbling to myself?" she raised an eyebrow.
"No," he laughed, "That´s quite real. No, I mean that you want to be with me," he whispered the last part of his answer.
"I know you´ve shown me, but can you maybe as well tell me?"
Hermione sighed, "Severus Snape I think we´ve a special bond. You´re an intellectual, I like that. You are handsome…"
He snorted, making her hold up her hand to stop him.
"… You care for me, you´re sweet and tender to me. I promise I won´t tell anybody. You make me laugh…"
"What about the age difference?"
"Sev, we´ve been through a war, does age really matter?"
"What about my past? I´ve done horrible things. They haunt me in my dreams. I don´t dare talk about them."
"But you realised your mistake early enough and you changed. And that´s all that matters to me." She softly kissed him.
"I´m sorry I´m so insecure. It´s my first … r… relationship." She gaped at him.
"We´re in a relationship now, aren´t we?" he asked timidly. She nodded.
"You have never been in a relationship?"
"No, who would I´ve been in a relationship with? Bellatrix, or all the other crazy death eater women? Please! I might have been a death eater, but I still was a human-being and most of them were not. And on the side of the Order nobody trusted me enough … But to be honest I always had a thing for Tonks. Sorry that was inappropriate."
"No not at all. So it´s both our first relationship. Interesting." She smiled.
"What about Krum?" he asked curiously.
"Well we studied together and snogged a couple of times, but that was the extent of it."
"Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me," Severus placed a kiss on her cheek.
"My pleasure, so what are you reading?"
"Les Misérables."
"Oh I always wanted to read that one. I only saw the musical."
"There is a musical?" He looked amused.
"It´s great, we should go and see it some time. So how is the book?"
Their evening was filled discussing books and differences between magical and muggle literature, leaving both of them happy, as they went up to their rooms. They were standing in front of her room, staring deep into each other´s eyes, when Severus gently touched her neck and pulled her into a gentle kiss that more and more heated up. He is a good kisser. Very good. If he doesn´t stop soon, I think my legs are giving in. Severus finally let go of her.
"Good night Hermione," he smiled and slightly bowed his head and turned around to go to his own room.
"Good night, Severus!" Always the gentleman. She smiled and opened the door to her room.