Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author.
A/N – Written as a two-part gift for the lovely WriterMerrin. She has been a great help and friend to me, ever since I came to know her. I can't thank you enough my dear!
Kudos and hugs go to Sequana for beta-ing this fic for me.
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It was the middle of the day and the sun was at its peak. The spring of that year had been good, with little rain and much more sunshine than usual. Outside, the sound of children playing in the playground across the road could be heard. Inside the lovely old Brownstone, in the main bedroom on the second floor, Hermione Granger stood, looking out at the children enjoying the sunshine. Once, when they had been young, her own children would play in that very same park in the spring when it was sunny and in the winter when there was snow and the pond froze over so they could ice-skate.
But now her two children had both grown up and were already at Hogwarts. Rose was in her third year, and Hugo was in his first. Her two children with her former husband, Ron Weasley, were the apples of her eye. They had to be. She had only them. Ron had them, the former Lavender Brown and their own daughter, Eliza. Hermione had never remarried. There had just never been an opportune time for her to date during the first couple of years of her divorce, and after that she had just never gotten around to dating anyone with all of her work as an Unspeakable.
Hermione liked her independence.
She and Ron were still very good friends. They had parted on amicable terms and still saw each other regularly at the Burrow and at Harry and Luna's house in Godric's Hollow. The Weasleys were still as much family to her as they had been while she had been married to one of their own. Ginny Malfoy was still one of her best friends. She had never once thought that she might be lonely.
But as she stared out the window that day, watching all the neighbourhood children play, she felt a sudden stab of loneliness go through her. She was lonely. With both of her children away, she had no one at the Brownstone with her, and this jolted her to awareness. She had never considered what her life was to be like when she had no one to come home to in the afternoon on her return from work. She had not given a thought to how she would feel if she didn't have to pack a lunch for Rose or Hugo for school before Apparating to the Ministry for work.
And now she was unsure what she was going to do about it.
Ginny had tried to set her up on several blind dates in the past month. Some of them were Quidditch players who played on the team Draco managed. Others had been Healers from St. Mungo's who worked with Ginny herself. None of them had been the kind of man Hermione could see herself finding happiness with. She considered herself lucky not to have taken up with any of them. Not even for a casual sexual encounter as Ginny had suggested, winking and nudging all the while.
Hermione sighed, pressing her forehead against the cool glass of the window briefly before pulling away and walking back out of her room and down the stairs. She had to get back to work. Every lunch break, she returned home, just so that she wouldn't be harassed at the Ministry by her friends, all of whom thought she needed to enjoy her life more. Harry was the worst – he was always trying to get her boss to send Hermione on holiday behind her back, thinking he was being secretive. Of course, she couldn't be fooled so easily. Nobody could get Hermione's boss to do anything, excepting Harry.
But she had to admit, she had been getting a little tired. She might very well need a break away from everyone and everything she knew. It might be a good time for her to use up some of the holiday weeks that she had not used up over the years. With that thought in mind, she returned to work. At five in the evening, when she clocked out of the Ministry building and walked into Diagon Alley, she had officially worked her last day for the next two months.
She was going to take a holiday.
'Hermione!' a familiar, irksome voice yelled from behind.
She turned around and saw Harry walking briskly to catch up with her. He was, in turn, being followed by none other than Ron. Both of them worked together in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, so the two were glued to each others' sides more often than not. Harry finally stood before her, panting a little.
'How can I help you boys?' she asked with a warm smile.
'Luna wanted me to ask you over to dinner tonight,' Harry replied. 'Ron, Lav and Ellie are going to be there too.'
'I would have said yes, but I am going to be busy packing and planning all night,' Hermione replied, grinning at the shock on her two best friends' faces.
'What? Where are you going?' Ron asked, finally having caught up.
'I've taken some leave from work for a couple of months – I'm going to go on holiday starting tomorrow, and I still have to pack and make plans,' she answered. 'I would have told you, but it was more of a spur-of-the-moment decision than anything else.'
'Hermione Granger is going on a holiday?' Harry said, dumbfounded. 'Well, I'll be damned. Since when did you become spontaneous?'
'Apparently some time in the last ten minutes,' she said dryly, raising an eyebrow at him.
Harry had the modesty to look at little sheepish at that. 'Right, sorry,' he murmured. 'Well, I suppose we had better leave you to it, then. Have a nice trip, and don't forget to write and tell us all about what you get up to.'
'Yeah, and we'll try and write you back if we can find anything interesting to write about,' Ron added helpfully.
Hermione smiled and hugged both men. 'Thanks, you two,' she said softly. 'I'll be writing to you, but I won't expect letters back – from either of you boys, anyhow.'
She turned and began making her way to the Apparation point once more and, on arriving, went straight home. As soon as she got there, she began making plans immediately, reading up on some popular tourist destinations before ignoring them in favour of some more academic ventures. She finally stumbled upon something that would interest her. It was a lovely seaside town in Scotland. There were a number of old, deserted castles and many ruins and henges both in the area and around the surrounding provinces.
It would give her a chance to relax, while also providing stimulus for her mind to keep her occupied enough not to bore of her holiday. She could catch up on some reading. Deciding that this was definitely the place for her, she immediately did a search of the town to find appropriate lodgings and finally settled on a lovely bed and breakfast that was in the centre of the Muggle town. She phoned and made her booking. She would stay there for six weeks. Afterwards, she packed and ate a small dinner before going to bed and drifting off to sleep.
The next day, she showered and dressed, having a coffee before collecting together everything she would be taking with her on her trip. She Disapparated and reappeared at the edge of a forest that lined one side of the small, seaside village. Making the short trek to the rustic inn she was staying in, Hermione checked into her room and then deposited all of her belongings there before leaving to do some exploring.
The village was everything she had thought it would be; small, but lovely, with a pub, bakery, café and post office. Everyone she passed had a friendly smile for her and greeted her cheerfully. By the time lunch came around, Hermione had already decided that she very much liked her chosen destination. She ate a salad sandwich for lunch at the pub and then went to explore the small circle of Celtic rune stones located on the edge of the village near the cliffs.
After the sun had set, she returned to her accommodations and bathed, ordered food up to her room and was in bed by nine that night.
The next morning, she set out early in her khaki shorts, a white polo shirt and a backpack. She Disapparated from the forest's edge and arrived at the sight of an old ruined castle. There was a tall obelisk to the side of the castle, surrounded by stones that were all carved but were weathered by the elements. Smiling, she walked through the doors once she had reached the top of the castle stairs, patting her pocket to ensure her wand was still there. She walked a hall and had just rounded a corner when she ran into someone. She barely registered the air leaving her lungs as she began to tumble backwards.
She closed her eyes, but her back never met the ground. A pair of strong arms had wrapped around her waist and heaved her up against a solid chest. She opened her eyes and looked up into a pair of very familiar black ones. Pulling back, she recognized her saviour as none other than Severus Snape.
'Professor Snape,' she said faintly.
'Ms. Granger,' he replied solemnly, hauling her into an upright position before setting her on her own two feet firmly.
'What a surprise,' she murmured, unconsciously clasping her hands together.
'Indeed,' he said, releasing her from his grip and stepping back to straighten once more to his full height. 'What brings you to Scotland?'
'I decided to take a holiday,' she replied, looking at her former professor more closely.
He was dressed in dark jeans, with a black shirt tucked into them, the sleeves rolled to his elbows and the top buttons undone. He was so much the same, yet, unbelievably different to the man who had been her teacher. It took her a few moments, but she realised the difference was not only due to his lack of formal teaching attire but to the length of his raven hair. He was wearing it a good couple of inches longer than he had while she had been a student of his.
'I see,' Snape said simply, a dark eyebrow going up as he noticed her scrutiny of him.
Hermione had the grace to blush a little at that. 'What brings you to the coast?' she asked curiously, taking a moment to admire the lovely contrast between his dark clothes and hair and his pale skin.
'I am away from the school for the weekend,' he said quietly. 'For research.'
Her face lit up at the mention of research. 'What are you researching?' she inquired in her interest.
'Ancient Celtic history of potions,' he answered. 'I am formulating a new potion, and this research is critical for its completion.'
Resisting the urge to ask him more about it, Hermione simply nodded. 'Well, I'll just leave you to it, then,' she said, stepping away and walking around him.
'Ms. Granger,' he called, just as she was approaching some stairs.
'Yes?' she asked, spinning around to face him.
'If you were not opposed, I could accompany you to the upper levels,' he offered quietly. 'It is quite dangerous to go up there alone, especially is you are unfamiliar with the structure of the castle.'
Hermione looked at him dumfounded for a moment. Has Snape just offered to help her? 'I – I suppose I wouldn't be opposed,' she stammered, waiting for him to join her at the foot of the stairs.
They ascended the stairs together and Hermione immediately got to work. She took out her notebook from her pack and started marking down ancient inscriptions on the walls, translating some bits of Gaelic to English. Snape sat down by a crumbling windowsill the entire time, nose down in his own journal, scribbling away. They worked silently all the way through lunch, and it was only at five that evening, when the sun was slowly setting, that Hermione stopped her work.
'You haven't eaten since you arrived here,' Snape said, rising from his seat as Hermione began to pack her notebook into her backpack.
'Oh!' Hermione exclaimed, realizing that he was right. 'I suppose I got a little carried away with this, then.'
'Where are you staying?' he asked suddenly.
'At the Little Raven Inn,' she answered timidly.
'Very well,' he replied. 'You're looking peaky – I will Apparate you into town.'
Although she has been surprised by this sudden offer, Hermione accepted it all the same. They Apparated straight into town, but instead of taking her to the inn, Snape took her by the elbow and led her to the local pub. Once inside, he ushered her into a darkened booth in a corner and gently sat her down in one of the seats before going to the bar to order drinks and food. On his return, he brought two glasses of red wine and sat down across from her.
'I hope you like red,' he murmured, sampling his own wine carefully.
'I do,' she replied, taking a small sip of the red liquid.
'I also took the liberty of ordering you the stuffed roast eggplant for dinner,' he said quietly. 'Forgive me for being so presumptuous, but it was the only vegetarian dish on their menu.'
Hermione smirked at Snape's discreet display of nerves. 'How did you know to order that?' she asked out of curiosity.
'All of the teachers at Hogwarts are aware of each student's dietary requirements,' he confessed simply, just as a waiter brought both of their meals out to their table.
She noted that Snape too ate only the eggplant meal for dinner. She supposed it made sense. He was one of the palest men she knew, who still appeared to be healthy for all intents and purposes. Not to mention one of the most naturally fit. His sinewy muscles had rippled under his shirt with each of his movements. Hermione snorted inwardly. She really must have been too long without dating or a good shagging to be checking out Severus Snape the way she was.
The two continued to eat dinner and drink in silence. When Hermione offered to pay him back for her own meal, Snape waved her off patiently. He escorted her as far as the door to the inn, where he bid her goodnight politely. Hermione went to be that night feeling extremely bewildered and confused. The next morning, she showered and dressed and then went to have breakfast downstairs in the dining room. There, she stumbled upon Snape, who was sitting alone at a table by the window, reading the paper and sipping at a cup of tea contentedly. Feeling decidedly bolder than she had the day before, she walked over to him and smiled.
'Professor Snape,' she greeted him cheerfully. 'What brings you here this fine morning?'
'Breakfast,' he said blandly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Well – it really had been the most obvious thing in the world, but Hermione knew he was being deliberately vague.
'You know what I mean,' she said dryly, raising an eyebrow at him.
'I am a guest at the Little Raven also,' he replied. 'As it is Sunday I will be returning to Hogwarts after completing my research.'
'Oh,' she said with a hint of disappointment flavouring her tone. 'Have you finished your research in the area, then?'
'Not yet,' he said simply, but did not make to elaborate any further. 'Have a seat.'
Hermione sat down across from him and took tea and toast for breakfast. When she finished, he folded up his morning paper and they left the inn at the same time.
'Are you going back to the castle ruins today?' she asked him at the door.
'For a few hours,' he answered.
And so they both returned to the castle, Apparating separately. Hermione spent the day making sketches of the second and third level of the building, while Snape remained in his spot by the window from the day before. When he left that afternoon before sunset, he simply nodded at her before leaving the ruins and Disapparating from sight just outside of the castle. Hermione had assumed that she would not be seeing him again while she was on holiday.
However, when she saw Snape sitting at his usual table in the Little Raven's dining room after returning from her research the next Friday evening, she knew she had been mistaken in her assumption. Without waiting for an invitation, she sat down opposite him and ordered her meal. The waited returned with her order soon after, and it was only after she had taken a couple of mouthfuls that she looked up to see Snape looking at her curiously.
'How was your week?' she asked conversationally.
'The same as any other week teaching useless teenage dunderheads,' he answered. 'Your two children I will exempt from this; however, your daughter seems to have inherited one of your more annoying habits.'
'Oh? And what might that be?'
'Your ability to drive me to distraction with endless questions,' he answered simply with a smirk.
Hermione smiled. 'I did ask a lot of questions when I was younger,' she admitted lightly. 'But, to be fair, I did think that I had a lot to prove back then, being a Muggleborn and all that.'
'Indeed.'
'What research brings you here this weekend?' she inquired, curious to know if he had plans to return to the same castle as the weekend before.
'It's not totally clear to me yet,' he said. 'During the week I stumbled across some information in the library about that castle and three other castles in the area around this village. Apparently all four were lorded over by the same family, but run under different members.'
'Oh! That does sound fascinating,' Hermione exclaimed enthusiastically, her eyes bright with interest.
'I would not be opposed to some company over the weekend while at the second castle,' he said, making the suggestion calmly.
'I wouldn't mind going to have a look at that, actually,' she said. 'I managed to complete the last of my notes and sketches at the first castle today.'
It was all settled after that brief conversation. For the rest of the weekend, Hermione accompanied Snape to the second castle of the four, each making their own notes during the day, before Snape would Apparate them in tandem back to the village. They dined together at the inn and went their separate ways again afterwards. Hermione discovered that his regular room was just down the hall from hers, as they had exited their rooms at the same time for breakfast on the Sunday morning. He left after their work on Sunday afternoon just a short time before sunset as the week before.
By the third Friday of her break, she had come to terms with the fact that she would be faced with seeing Snape most, if not every, weekend during her stay there. He brought a letter from her two children with him that week, which she thanked him for. After dining with him that night she wrote back to them and her friends, telling them all about the village and her research, and sent the letters with a borrowed owl. She did not dare mention Snape to Harry or Ron.
When he left that third Sunday, Hermione felt a keen sense of loss that she had no words to describe.
Snape didn't return until the Saturday of her fourth weekend, which was unusual for him. She had gotten used to dining with him on Friday evenings in such a short time. Hermione had actually worried that he mightn't be returning at all. How paranoid she had become over Severus Snape. Over the past few weekends, she had come to appreciate his companionship and was finding him attractive, intelligent and stimulating. Initially she had believed she was going crazy or that she was lonely or desperate for company.
But she soon realized it was none of those things at all and that she was genuinely interested in him.
After spending all day Saturday in the third castle researching separately, they returned to the inn together. Both went their separate ways to bathe but met again in the dining room for dinner. The owner of the inn, a plump, friendly woman, had smiled on seeing this. Even she had noticed the growing kinship between them. Hermione could not help but sneak covert glances at Snape during their entire meal. He was so graceful and mysterious. Everything about him allured her. If it were not for her upbringing as a proper lady, she might have attacked him, the other guests be damned.
Once they had finished dinner, they ascended the stairs in silence, both seemingly too nervous to break it. When they reached the top, Hermione worked up the courage and gently touched his wrist. He turned to her and looked into her eyes with his own dark eyes. They were shining with a desire that was surely reflected in hers. No questions were asked or words spoken. Snape went with her to her rooms that night, and, in the morning, she awoke naked in his arms, dozing comfortably beneath the sheets and duvet on the bed.
She turned to look at him, finding he was also awake. 'Why?' she asked nervously, her confidence of the night before failing her in the light of day.
'Because these past weeks have become less about my research and more about seeing you,' he answered honestly, stroking her cheek with a long finger.
Tears prickled her eyes. 'That was the loveliest thing that has been said to me in a long while,' she whispered with a watery smile.
'It is a shame, then, a woman as lovely as you has been deprived of such compliments,' he murmured, tilting her face up to his before kissing her with a tenderness she had never known.
They lay in silence for a few minutes until Hermione spoke. 'I wish you didn't have to leave today,' she said wistfully.
'I wish I didn't have to leave,' he replied, dragging her naked flesh against his more firmly.
'Will you come back next weekend?' she asked, looking up into his eyes hopefully.
His expression darkened slightly, and Hermione knew she would not like the answer. 'I have Hogsmeade duties next weekend,' he answered. 'I won't be able to return for a fortnight.'
Hermione controlled her features, resisting the urge to show him her disappointment at his reply. She couldn't believe how quickly she had become enamoured with him – how quickly she had come to care about him. She snuggled against his side, nestling her head into the crook of his shoulder and closed her eyes to the daylight. His hand drifted over her back, warming her, but he said no more on the matter. No research was done that day. In the evening, Severus rose from her bed, showered and dressed. He kissed Hermione tenderly before he left, stroking her face affectionately.
That night, Hermione slept poorly and ate dinner at their usual table alone. Only the keeper of the inn saw how unhappy she was without the man who had recently become her lover and companion.
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To be continued…