11

11.29 p.m

Snape was pacing incessantly around the olive green sofa. Ginny peeped out from a little gap in her door, the same room which she shared with Hermione. The whole house was in a state of perpetual worry, for their most loved friend had gone into a covert mission against Voldemort.

As per Hermione's time-table attitude, she had masked her own fear of the mission by planning out the assignment's timetable and splitting it into "Steps". It had worked. They stopped worrying.

Well, till Hermione had actually stepped out of the door. They finally realized that a little piece of parchment containing her well-planned schedule of steps was all they had for comfort. And of course, a piece of writing was a far cry from having the real person around.

"Why her Harry?" Ginny had muttered softly, tears were threatening to leak.

"She offered, and insisted violently." Harry replied with heaviness in his breath.

"Honestly Harry! Its ridiculous! I should be the one going for this silly thing. Don't put this on him."

"Herm, we never would risk you. Come on, yo…"

Hermione cut him in mid sentence with the venom of a snake to her words. "And you are saying that Severus is worth risking?! Damn with all of you! Don't do this! He has just been sent on another one of those stupid missions! I'm not sending him away again right after the last one."

Harry knew it was pointless to even argue. Her last sentence had the familiar tone which, patented by Hermione, indicated that the argument was won in her favor, and any more deliberation would result in serious Hermione-inflicted consequences. Still, he had to try, he loved her (the friendly way of course).

"'Mione, I know you love him but think of how he would feel when he comes back to find you gone?"

She turned, and paused, a slight hesitation. Harry had only seen that ever once, and that was then.

"I've gone through that same feeling. I go through it everyday when he's not around. I can go through it. He can too." With that, she exited the room.

After Ginny had heard Harry's recount of the conversation, she brightened.

"Hermione's coming back Harry."

"What?"

"She said she has gone through the same feelings Snape is feeling now. She also said that he'll pull through it. Snape has come back alive every time. She's trying to say that she'll come back, safe and sound." Ginny finished with a smile. She hugged her arms around her shoulders and gave her fiancé a sad little lopsided smile.

Harry thought Ginny might have gone bonkers. However, after thinking about it, he realized she was trying to draw comfort, however ludicrous and logic-boggling, from Hermione's promises. Hermione's promises were her very reputation. If she were not that, she was not Hermione at all.

He drew Ginny into his arms. "You're right love." He smiled into her hair as she dripped some silent tears into his sleeves.

Severus burst into the room, startling the two young lovers. "Ginny," he started, seemingly out of breath, as though he had just run a marathon. He did not blush or turn away, apologizing at the scene of the couple cuddling, like the others did when they stumbled upon them.

"What does Hermione love to eat the most? Her comfort food?" Snape inquired, almost demandingly.

Perplexed by the strange question, she answered. "Why, Oatmeal of course. Why do you as…?"

He had dashed out of the purple painted room and made his way into the previously pink now tainted teal kitchen.

The clink-clink-clink sounds of metal spoon he made were comfortingly like Hermione's. It soothed his own frustrations and anger but made his heart ache with a burden he never had before.

Spooning heaps of Kingsley's Best Organic Rolled Oats, he dipped the spoon into the boiling water, stirring vigorously. Lowering the heat, he let the dish simmer.

"Uh, so now… you and Snape eh?" Ginny had began.

"Snape and me yes?" she asked teasingly with perfectly pointed brows.

"Nothing." Ginny buried her attention to her charred toast and began spreading dripping butter.

The silence at the table had been deafening. Harry snickered. Remus gapped, Ron of course, seethed. Ginny was choking (on her toast), Albus was twinkling and Minerva was studious.

"So…" Minerva tried to revive the conversation while eyeing the couple. She had many questions.

"When is the wedding?" Albus had cut in, his eyes were laughing.

Everyone stopped to stare at the strange new couple. Ron was sputtering like a stalled motor boat.

Hermione decided to play along. "Well," she began diplomatically.

"That would depend on when Severus," she strained his first name to emphasize that they were serious about each other. "would like to hold the Spring wedding. Would all of you be coming?"

Well, that certainly answered all their questions. Ron was still sputtering though.

"Ron! Honestly. Stop your sputtering, you sound like a stalled motor boat!" Hermione chided.

Severus bellowed with laughter at his girlfriend's little joke. Enough was enough though, Hermione was going to get Severus and her some real breakfast. The burnt thingy was getting a bit old. She took his hand gently and left her stunned friends with the prospect of indigestion.

"Oh," she added for extra effect as she turned her heel, "Ginny, you will be my bridesmaid right?"

Ron had thrown his broomstick on the floor. "She didn't need to go in his place! He doesn't deserve it!"

"Ron." Remus tried to butt in.

"The guy's a git!"

"RON!"

"What!"

"She loves him."

"Oh."

Ron Weasley cared. However, he never was good at channeling his emotions well.

The former Potions Master brought the oatmeal's cooking to a stop. As he lifted the lid of the porcelain pot, the steam of oatmeal wafted into his nostrils.

His eyes were watery. He missed her dreadfully. She had been gone for a full ten days. As he lifted the parchment up to his sight, he grinned sorrowfully at the last sentence on the print. His version (she had made individual copies for all of them, how Hermione.) would be the only one bearing a special significance.

"I love you Severus. Be strong. I Love You." She had scrawled delicately.

"I love you too." He breathed, hoping that wherever she was, she could hear him.

He made batches and batches of oatmeal.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner had been overtaken by Severus Snape. Former Potions Master, current Oatmeal Connoisseur.

"I can't do this! Oatmeal's pouring out of my ears!" Ginny whined when she and Harry were alone.

"Gin, he's just trying to cope." Harry tried to reason to her, partly to himself as well, he suspected. A voice in his ear growled. One more day of Oatmeal and I'll throw the bloody can out of the window.

Remus was having a hard time trying to perceive his old colleague's actions.

"I'm not complaining," (For once…) Ron Weasley had commented surprisingly. "He makes a mean bowl of Oatmeal." He gulped as he stuffed his face with more Oatmeal and dipped his spoon into honey and milk, adding for good measure, a huge sprinkle of blueberries.

"Not surprising, seeing as Severus has had much practice." Minerva sighed, lifting her spoon of grub gingerly to her mouth.

Albus promised to take her out for some lemon-drop pizza later on, to which she paled even more. Then, they stopped their chattering as Snape entered the dining area, bearing, to their dismay, another big bowl of oatmeal.

However, this time, instead of forcing them to take a bigger portion and then retreating into his own quarters, he sat right down along with the rest of them and began to eat in big hungry slurps.

Ron watched sympathetically.

Ginny's eyes widened when she watched her brother offer Snape some milk and berries to go along with the otherwise plain oatmeal.

Severus declined politely and reverted back to his bowl. Consuming with a passion. Wiping his mouth roughly, he stood and brought his own bowl back to the counter and scourgified the dishes.

It was really peculiar really.

Then, it came to light.

"Hermione's coming back today." Ginny said knowingly, glancing at Hermione's timetable which Snape had enlarged and pasted on the kitchen wall.

Leaves rustled and crunched under the foot of someone who was, at the moment, jangling at the doorknobs. The 'Creek-creek', was a tell-tale sound that someone had entered the sanctuary.

Severus Snape strode to the entrance. Ginny was clutching Harry and Ron's arms painfully. Remus went to call Minerva and Albus.

The door opened.

Silence.

Her smile was immaculate. Suddenly, the mission no longer mattered. Nothing did. She was there. He was in front of her. It was as if everything seemed normal, like there was no Voldemort. No war.

Hermione Granger had just come home from a hard day's work to her lover, ready to await a kiss accompanied by, "How was your day honey?" and a "Did you eat well?". That was the vibe.

And that was exactly what had happened.

It seemed so weird. All the tension and the anger, the frustrations and worry had gone at the reunited couple's presence. The only evidence of the odd 15 days and 7 stage plan was the large parchment hanging in shreds on the hideous brown kitchen wall.

Severus kissed Hermione's cheeks and helped her with her cloak. He asked if she was well and how the mission went. It was just a question asked out of politeness. Hermione Granger went for the assignment; of course she managed it with succession.

After the rest hugged Hermione and filed into corners to eavesdrop, the Gryfindor-ess stared at the 10 empty cans of Kingsley's Best Organic Rolled Oats. The shredded huge timetable which hung in pieces.

She tidied her attire and turned to Severus, who stared at her with tired eyes.

"I missed you Severus Snape." She whispered as he drew her into his arms.

"As did I, Hermione Granger."

He kissed her wet cheeks and brushed her unruly hair to the back. They whispered urgent and desperate words to each other.

After 20 minutes of desperate whisperings…

"Well, Severus, sit." She pointed to the new magically painted (by Albus) orange chairs in the dining.

The couple's chatter had fallen to the usual bantering of discoveries and silly trifles.

"That's it?" whispered Ron from behind the pillar which the six were hiding behind.

"Well, they are rather unusual…" Remus interjected.

"A power-couple." Affirmed Albus.

"Look! Look you guys… Hermione's wedding finger!" Ginny half shriek-whispered.

There it was, no doubt. A cool little platinum ring, resting perfectly on Hermione's fourth finger. An engagement ring. It shimmered in the dim kitchen lights as she laid down two mugs of powered almond drinks, set on the pretty sky-blue table without coasters, beside a big bowl of oatmeal which she and Severus was going to share.

The End

OOOHHH! So much fun to write this. I finished this after having my own bowl of oatmeal. Had a nice feeling after writing this. PLEASE read, rate and review. ) Much Loves, xxoo –TheCows-