Hermione stared at her husband from across the breakfast table. His red hair messily sat in chaos. He had a grease stain on his shirt from the bacon that he had scarfed down. Her own grapefruit remained untouched in front of her next to her soon to be cold coffee. She looked away from Ron and stared down at the table. Watching him was like watching a medical program. Disgusting but you couldn't look away. Hermione sighed and picked up her mug. It was handmade by her daughter Rose when she was eight. Hermione smiled at the memory. Now Rose and Hugo were both teenagers at Hogwarts for the year, Rose's last year and Hugo's 5th. She was only grateful that their experience had been quite calmer than her, Harry's, & Ron's. She stared into her cup her face reflected in the brown darkness. She sighed. Hermione was still pretty but her increasing age was beginning to show. She was in her late thirties now. The other day she had found a gray hair and cried for an hour. Ron thought she was being foolish. It made her feel worse. He couldn't complain his hair was still vividly red and bushy. Hermione stood from the table and headed to the yard. Ron took no care in her absence. They were accustomed to one another now.
The flowers Hermione had planted along the pathway were wilting, as the season grew colder. Their beauty was diminishing. It made Hermione want to cry all over again. She gathered herself and looked around the front yard. Once full of magical toys now was bare. Just like her life. All she would have soon was Ron. Her and Ron alone in their big house. It was all pointless. Hermione couldn't be here anymore. She was going bonkers from the everyday routine. Now and then Ginny & Harry would stop by. The scary thing was that they still seemed very much in love. Maybe only Hermione's life was doomed to be in shambles. Hermione went back inside and saw Ron return from the bathroom, most likely causing a stink. He kissed her on the cheek and left for work. Hermione attempted to take a nap.
Hermione failed utterly and sat up in bed staring at the flower print walls. They were closing her in. She felt like a domestic housewife, which wasn't the case because it was only her day off from work. She curled her legs to her chest and counted her breaths.
"I need to get out of here." She jumped out of the bed and practically ran out the door. Hermione wrapped her jacket around her as she walked toward town. She needed a drink, badly. No matter what time it is. Hermione checked her watch just to see 12:30. "Damn too early." She decided to shop around anything to distract her from her dreary life. Hermione watched a group of young witches excitedly shop for new shoes. She sighed remembering her once youth. Hermione saw the library at the end of the road and headed in its direction. The building was empty and her heart swam at the smell and sight of ancient magical history. Hermione had read a lot of these books already but there seemed to be more and more each time she returned. She stacked her arms full of books and headed to a comfortable chair in the back.
Hours passed as Hermione escaped into various novels and literary works. She loved this. No one to bother her, nothing to care about. Barely anyone came into the store so Hermione had plenty of privacy. She was deeply entranced by the third book in her pile when the bell above the door rang. Hermione half-heartedly looked up and across the room a glanced upon a head of black hair and eyes that matched. It wasn't until her eyes returned to her book that Hermione had to do a double take. It can't be. Her eyes darted back to the door but the man was gone. Snape was gone. Hermione shook the thought from her head. It was impossible Snape died over 17 years ago at the great battle. She attempted to follow her book again but she was too distracted now. She closed the book and stared at the door drumming her fingers on the books cover. Impossible, it couldn't have been him. I must be getting old. This thought brought sharpness to her heart. She was determined to prove herself wrong. Hermione rose from the chair and headed toward the front of the library. No one was there except the owner working quietly behind his desk. She glanced around the room. Nothing. Except… a quick swiftness of black escaped behind a bookshelf. Hermione headed to it. The man was quickly making his way to the back door of the shop.
"Stop!" Hermione chased after him. She felt she needed to. "Please!" The man darted between shelves. Hermione kept on him. He seemed to be close to getting away until he tripped on a book that lay astray. Tumbling onto the ground he grasped his ankle firmly.
"Of course!" He groaned at his injury. Hermione stopped short. That voice. She moved toward him. The man's head stayed down. Kneeling beside him Hermione lifter his head. It was impossible but here she sat face to face with her thought to be dead potions professor. Her eyes never broke away from his face.
"I can't believe it's you." He looked away from her.
"You're not supposed to know. Nobody is. I screwed up." He attempted to stand but winced at the pain.
"Let me see." Hermione took his ankle gingerly giving it her attention. "It's only sprained and easily fixed. She cast the quick healing spell upon it and the bruising diminished. She looked back at the walking dead man. "How?" He turned to her eyes full. She noticed that they weren't black but a lovely gray color.
"Not here. Come with me." They left and he pulled her along to a hidden pub. "We'll need a drink I'm sure." Hermione checked her watch 5:13. Whoa time really flew. They sat and received their drinks all whilst Hermione refused to remove her eyes from Snape. He cleared his throat and in a low voice began to tell her. "I did die. That, you had correctly. However, not long after I was brought back alive. Lucius used the Sorcerers Stone to save me. He did it out of respect because I had protected Draco for so long." Hermione gaped at him.
"The Stone? But how did he get…" Snape cut her off.
"I'm not sure but I don't put it past Lucius. He was quite powerful. However, it did nothing for him because little did he know I was on the side of good now. Before he could kill me himself Lucius was sent off to Azkaban." Hermione was in complete shock. It all made perfect sense. Except…
"But you haven't changed at all. I thought I had seen a ghost." Snape ran his fingers through his black locks.
"Yes, well that was a side effect to the Stone. I don't age." Hermione felt a slight bitterness inside. Lucky you. Seeing the jealousy in Hermione's eyes he continued. "It's not as glorious as it seems. I have seen things I wasn't supposed to. And although I've hid myself from everyone that knows me, until today, I know what's become of all who were my friends. I've seen death I was not meant to see. The only people that remain are my students. I have no family, and no friends." Hermione felt nothing but sympathy as she watched him sip his drink. It occurred to her with his age remaining the same that they weren't too far apart now. He had been in his early thirties when she had started Hogwarts so physically they had to be the same age. Wow. Weird. Hermione looked down at her own drink, which was quickly reaching the bottom.
"So where have you been." She could feel his eyes on her but she didn't dare look. She wasn't sure why she couldn't look directly into his stone gray eyes. They were sad and tired but somehow beautiful.
"Around. Just wandering really." Hermione nodded at his response continuing to keep her head down. She couldn't think of anything to say. For some reason the silence wasn't awkward it was okay. They were two lonely souls just accepting the presence of someone else in solitude. It was Severus that broke the silence first. "I saw you married Weasley." At this Hermione felt ashamed. Once she had been proud now she was embarrassed. He accepted her silence as an answer. It told him that she didn't want to talk about it. That she was unsatisfied and unhappy with her life. They were connected now. Both separate from the world around them. "You look very beautiful Hermione." Hermione looked up at him and felt her cheeks warm. She chuckled slightly.
"Well, you've succeeded in making my face redden which hasn't happened since I was in my 20s." She smiled causing him to lighten as well. "You don't look so bad yourself. Now it was Severus who laughed. Hermione had never heard his laugh before it was surprisingly calm and cheery.
"Yes well I haven't aged in 21 years so that could have something to do with it. They both laughed together and Hermione felt less lonely. For the first time in years they were having fun. They caught each others eye at some point and the laughing died. It was a sad laughing to begin with. They were a sad spectacle. They both knew it too. Neither knew what was to happen next. This time they looked straight at one another. No longer teacher and student. They were two adults with empty lives. In her eyes she saw a man that looked a lot like Severus Snape but at the same time different. A softer man with age only in his eyes and black hair that was no longer slicked back but calmed. Severus saw a girl who had become a woman and a mother. She was older but more clever and wiser. They both were begging internally to be saved. They needed to escape reality. Somehow they relayed this message. Severus put his hand on hers. "Do you want to get out of here?" Hermione nodded.
They left quietly; it was what they were accustomed to. Hermione followed Severus down multiple side streets, her anticipation growing. The excitement was practically radiating off them. The reached a small Italian style street and Severus stopped. Hermione was confused.
"Where are w…" her questioning was cut off as she pushed against the clay building and his lips crashed into hers. Hermione was surprised but fell quickly into the kiss. It made her feel like a teen getting her first kiss. It was magical and sweet but passionate and real. Those types of kisses only come with age. Her hands found his neck and she pulled him in deeper. They only stopped for air before madly snogging once again. Hermione's breaths shortened as he kissed her neck. His hands explored her body and soon reached her bare waist. His touch made her tingle all over and she whispered into his ear "is there an upstairs?" Severus smiled into her neck and nodded. She gasped as his hand lifted her butt. The flexibility she thought was gone caused her to wrap her legs around him as he carried her up the villa staircase to a pair of oak doors. She giggled from him carrying her.
Opening the doors Hermione gazed at the warm bohemian style room. There wasn't much but a low set bed, fireplace, and a large opening window that led to a balcony with a view.
"This is where you've been staying?" Hermione didn't bother to conceal her amazement. The room was gorgeous in a simple way. It was perfect for the new Severus and didn't fit his old personality at all.
"Mhm, I didn't want anything high-maintenance." He carried her over to the bed
and laid her down whilst continuing to kiss her neck, then collar bone. Hermione's entire body was on vibrate as he gently pulled her shirt up to kiss her stomach. Not long after her shirt hit the floor his did as well. She gazed upon his perfect muscled torso that she never would've expected. She looked at it in the light of the setting sun and was overwhelmed. It was this moment that they devoured each other. The passion consumed them and neither could stop from tearing off the remaining clothes. As she fell under him on the bed her brown hair flowed out beneath her. Severus teased her with his tongue until she moaned, "I need you." Then he filled her whole. Hermione couldn't believe how quickly he had made her world better. Every sadness disappeared with him. They hit the peak together every emotion they had bottled from the outside world escaped together.
When it ended all was silence. The room, the hotel, the street was silent. They stayed curled together as if they were one being. In a way they were. They were soul mates and now they knew it, though neither dared to say it out loud. They just watched the sun setting slowly. They watched it and they both knew it was setting on something amazing. It was an end to a beginning. It was all too late. They were aware of what was to come though Hermione had the slightest hope. That desperate hope that life didn't have to return to how it was before. But Severus knew. He knew that the oncoming darkness symbolized something to occur. He wasn't sure yet what that was. As the darkness began to settle Hermione's tears fell quietly.
"This won't last, will it? We have to go back to reality, don't we?" She sniffled and Severus stroked her hair.
"Yes." Hermione's silent tears turned to light sobs as she turned to bury her head in his chest.
"Please! It doesn't have to be like that. We could run away! Wouldn't that be amazing?" Hope filled her voice. Hope that Severus was dreading to crush.
"It would be but we can't do that." Hermione sobbed into his chest.
"Why?! Why not?! We can be happy! Isn't that what matters?!" Severus lifted her head and looked into her gloomy brown eyes. It made him want to break down with her.
"Don't cry. All I want is you to be happy but you have children and a husband that cares for you." Hermione's eyes filled at these words and her voice dropped.
"I don't want him. I want you. I love you more than anyone I've ever loved before. Don't do this Severus please. I need you." Severus couldn't take it she almost gave him hope but it was impossible. The whole idea was ridiculous. It made him angry to get wishful. He stood abruptly out of the bed. Shocked Hermione watched him. He paced the room.
"And how exactly would that work? I don't age Hermione! You'd get older while I watch you die? It's not gonna happen." Hermione sat up.
"We'll make it work! We'll figure out something that will reverse it!" Severus paced faster the fury rising.
"Don't you think I've tried everything?! The only solution is death Hermione!" Tears fell from her face and he rushed to the bed and held her. His voice softened. "Look, don't you think if it were possible I would do everything to be with you?" She nodded and he kissed her deeply. In that kiss he displayed all his sorrow and apology. Hermione didn't want it to happen. Her new wonderful world was falling apart.
"Was it pointless?" she asked him. Severus looked at her with confusion darting in those gray stones.
"Did it feel pointless?" Hermione shook her head. "We had this. We escaped from everything. This will always be our moment. And you're the only one who knows I'm still alive." He kissed her again and lifted her off the bed toward the fireplace. He lit it for her to change in the warmth. He watched all her beauty in the warm flickering light and he knew what he had to do.
They kissed a long, deep, meaningful goodbye kiss. "I love you." Hermione told him as she left the villa hotel.
"I'll always be here." She kissed him again wanting to linger forever and returned home before Ron was out of work.
Severus looked at the empty room. Her smell still remained. He sighed. He couldn't do this. It was too torturous. It wasn't right. He didn't belong here. Severus walked to the balcony the cold night air hit his face softly, reassuringly. He opened the book and recited the incantation. Severus watched as his feet painlessly began to diminish. He felt nothing but peace. He was still in his moments with Hermione. He whispered his I love you into the wind until the wind blew him away and he was nothing more.
Hermione was wearing her most flattering blue dress. Her hair was curled with a shine. Her makeup made her brown eyes glow and her lips radiate. Her heart was pounding a million beats a second as she headed down the Italian street again. The sight of the clay walls made her blush remembering the previous day. She was practically running to the hotel. She trotted up the stairs like a child and opened the door excitement in her heart.
But it was all different. The room wasn't warm anymore. The sun shone through but it was empty light. Hermione knew from the moment she entered. She knew he wasn't here. He was gone. And not just gone from the hotel. Hermione fell to the floor. Her legs collapsed below her.
"He's gone." She whispered to herself, the realization hitting her. "He's gone!!" Her tears fell heavy as she screamed. "No! No!!!! Severus!!" She grasped her dress in her fists and yelled in pure pain. She hit the floor with her hands. "No, no, no." Her cries shortened her breathing and Hermione curled up into a heap. Her hair messed and her makeup ran. She didn't care. Nothing mattered anymore. Nothing in life mattered. She couldn't keep going on with life without him, her escape. Reality was too cruel. "I'd rather live in fantasy." Hermione thought of his eyes and his words. "He lied to me. He's not here. Not even his soul. Not even my soul." She yelled to the heavens angrily. "You took my soul! You bastard! How dare you leave me! You lied!" Her sobs muffled her yells slightly. No one heard her hysterics. No one saw her fall into her depression more deeply than ever. No one saw her take out her wand. And in the end no one witnessed the green flash of light as she finally escaped.