Chapter two! I've had so many of you ask me to continue this story, how could I possibly refuse? I absolutely love hearing from you, it makes my day. Please keep sending me reviews and ideas for things you would like to see happen in the story. Even if I don't use it here, there's a good chance I'll even make another story out of it. I'm still taking requests, if anybody wants to submit one!
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harrys-girl-4-life
Severus Snape was not happy.
Content, yes, but not happy.
He wasn't exactly known for being happy, though, not since Lily's death.
After Lily, he swore he would never love another.
So far, he had kept that vow quite easily.
He was married, yes.
To a woman he loved, no.
They were married out of necessity, out of obligation, not out if love.
'All eligible bachelors and bachlorettes shall be bonded at the soonest opportunity.'
The Ministry had tried to pair him with that insufferable cow, Pansy Parkinson.
He laughed bitterly at the memory.
"Over my dead body," he thought.
He had written them back demanding another woman.
They had replied with a list of eligible bachlorettes.
Millicent Bulstrode.
"Oh, hell no."
Parvati Patil.
No, she was too...girly.
Hannah Abbot.
Hmm...no, the red hair would be too painful a reminder...oh, wait, her name was crossed out anyway.
A note in the margin declared her married to Neville Longbottom.
"Longbottom, huh?"
Padma Patil.
An ex-Ravenclaw, she would be good for intelligent conversation, but he wasn't taking any risks, what if she turned out to be like her sister?
Cho Chang.
Much too emotional.
Luna Lovegood.
He laughed aloud, the mere thought was absurd.
Hermione Granger.
The 'Golden Girl'?
"Hmm..."
She was caring, courageous, stubborn, attractive, highly intelligent, and not at all overly girly.
Yes, she would do nicely.
Severus told the old wizard just that, right before he married her.
So far, that had been the case.
She was a good cook, she kept things neat, and she was more than satisfactory in bed.
Together, they had adapted fairly quickly to married life.
It was odd at first, married to a former student, trying to remember to call each other by their first names, but they soon fell into a routine.
Every morning, she would get up before him and start the coffee pot.
Half an hour later he would drag himself to the kitchen table where they would exchange good mornings, she would hand him a mug of coffee and the Prophet, and she would read whatever book she happened to be working on.
Eventually, she would get up and clear away the plate of pastries and carafe of coffee, wash the dishes, and tidy the kitchen.
The owls would arrive around that time, and they would spent an hour or two reading and replying to their mail.
Hermione would then make lunch, then he would disappear into his Potions lab and she would tidy the flat, go shopping for whatever they were running out of, or read while keeping an eye on her knitting needles, clicking away.
Sometimes in the afternoon Lavender or Ron would Floo to talk to her for a while, or other times she would talk to her mother on the telephone, usually with her cat, Mittens, curled up in her lap.
He didn't understand why she loved cats so much, but after Crookshanks died, she had been very upset.
So upset, in fact, that he had allowed her to get a new cat, when she decided she wanted one.
She had come home with a bright smile on her face and a tiny, black kitten with white paws wrapped up in a blanket.
It made Hermione so happy, having a cat to cuddle with, that Severus simply couldn't refuse her.
He would never admit it, but he rather liked the cat, as long as it wasn't in his lab.
As the afternoon turned into evening, Hermione would always come to his lab and knock gently on the door.
She would always ask what he wanted for dinner.
He would always reply that he didnt care, as long as it tasted good.
While she prepared dinner, he would package his finished potions and send them off to St. Mungo's, who bought them for a good sum of money.
They would eat dinner in relative silence, sometimes discussing a more difficult potion that he was thinking of attempting.
She was very encouraging, and assured him that he could accomplish whatever he set out to do.
He would never admit it to her, but he appreciated that confidence.
Support was something that he never had much of growing up.
They would drink tea while they ate their dessert, and that was when they would really talk.
They would talk about Dark Magic.
She knew alot about it from reading books, and he knew from experience.
They would also talk about children.
As much as he hated teaching other peoples brats, Severus very much wanted children.
He had not been raised in a good home, and he wanted to bring children into the world that he could raise well, spoil to an extent, and yes, even love.
Severus knew that he would love his children.
He may not be able to love his wife, but he would love his children.
Hermione wanted children even more than he did.
He knew that she would be a very good mother.
After dinner, Ginny or Harry would always call to talk to either one of them for a while.
Then they would go to bed together, eventually falling asleep with her foot gently wrapped around his ankle.
He must admit, he had a good wife.
She was quiet, yet made interesting conversation when she needed to.
She was feminine without being ridiculously girly.
She was tidy without being anal.
She was respectful, but expected the same respect on return, which she deserved and he willingly gave.
She was gentle without walking on eggshells.
She was a caring and affectionate person, but she didn't love him.
Nor he her.
They respected each other, protected each other, they even enjoyed each others company.
They cared about each other, or at least, for each other.
They simply didn't love each other.
Severus would never admit it to himself or her, but he wanted to love her.
He wanted her to love him.
He simply wanted to be loved again.
He remembered how it had felt with Lily.
They had looked out for each other, talked for hours, helped each other whenever possible, respected each other, and they had loved each other.
It was not unlike his relationship with Hermione, only, he did not love her.
That, and he never lost his temper and called her a Mudblood.
That was what caused his Lily to stop loving him, even though he would never stop loving her.
He craved that love, wished desperately to be loved again.
He, however, did not love.
He didn't allow himself to love, out of fear that if he did, she would only be taken from him as Lily had so cruelly been.
He was married, but he did not love his wife.
And she did not love him.
That was just the way it was.
That was the way it would always be.
They lived in relative harmony, rarely arguing, mostly staying out of each others way.
She never disturbed him in his lab, except to ask him what he wanted for dinner.
He never disturbed her when she was on the phone, unless her cat had found it's was into his lab again, and he couldn't coax it out.
They led a quiet life, a peaceful life, which is what they both craved after then long years battling Voldemort.
They were content, but they were sure they couldn't possibly be happy.
Not while married to each other.
Happiness just wasn't a part of their loveless marriage.
Yet, they weren't unhappy, either.
They were content to remain exactly as they were.
Even though both craved a deeper relationship, they were convinced that it couldn't possibly be with each other, and they would dare admit it anyway.
Severus had a good life.
He had a sweet, caring, intelligent, lovely wife.
He didn't love his wife, but he did admire her good qualities.
He had a very nice flat in London, not more than a five minutes walk from anything.
He had a small group of friends...well, his wife's friends, really, but they tolerated him.
He had a very well paying job brewing potions for St. Mungo's.
All that were missing were children, but he kept telling himself that they couldn't possibly be that far off.
Yes, he had a very good life.
But he wasn't happy.
At least, he didn't think he was.
He couldn't possibly be.
Could he?