Dear readers,

I know there was some confusion on exactly to what extent that Snape and Hermione had a relationship and if it was just that one night. Well, this chapter ought to clear that up sorry about the mess.

-KC

Chapter 2: Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin the Wise

"Who's sending you a letter from Azkaban?" Ron wanted to know as he stood by the window, mail in hand but forgotten. The entire house seemed to hold its breath as she carefully unfolded the letter and read it. No one spoke, no one moved, for the first time she could remember there was complete silence in the house.

Hermione's heart raced as she looked down at the neatly printed words on the parchment. Five simple words and a signature that was all she got.

I need to see you.

Severus Snape.

What could he possibly want to see her now for? It's not like he had sent her a letter wanting to see her before this. Had he been having the same dreams she'd had? What about last night? Had he spent several sleepless nights thinking about her? Wondering if she was okay? Combing the Daily Prophet for a sign of her or an announcement of her marriage?

"Well Hermione, who's it from?" Remus Lupin stepped forward with Tonks close at his side, her massive pregnant belly leading the way. She felt a twinge of jealousy but quickly pushed it away.

"Ex-Professor Snape." She carefully refolded the letter and put it back into the envelope. Her heart was pounding in her ears and her mind was racing. But her mind was already made up; she was going to see him.

"SNAPE, why the blazes is Severus Snape writing to you?" Ron demanded stepping toward her chucking the pile of mail on the table where Ginny had sat down to put up her feet. She ran her hand over her stomach that was just now starting to get round. Again another twinge of jealousy settled in Hermione's chest and she pushed it out.

She quickly sidestepped Ron and raised her wand to start the dishes from the night before, not to mention the many midnight snacks Tonks and Ginny were now consuming.

'If only they knew.' She thought as she watched plates, cups, bowls and other dishes jump from the sank to stack themselves neatly on the counter while the sink filled with water and soap.

"I have no idea, he wants to see me." Keep it simple. She told herself as she put the letter inside her jumper and turned back toward the food.

"You're not going to see him." Ron said as he lend back against the counter close to her. She paused in flipping eggs and looked at him. "Are you?" He added quickly after that drawing a round of laughter from the table behind her. Once it became obvious food was being prepared for the masses they would gather somewhere in the same general area.

"For crying out loud Ronald, leave the poor girl alone." Molly Weasley said as she and Arthur came in from the front of the house. Now it was a real party.

HPHPHPHPHP

After breakfast Hermione escaped to her room while the others sat with Arthur and discussed the happenings at the Ministry. Hermione, though an employee there, spent as little time there as possible, she also tried to keep herself away from office politics. Though as an Auror she had found herself the subject of more than a few Ministry meetings.

Aside from Harry, Hermione was the best Auror on Ministry payroll with Ron coming in at a strong third. They all followed their gut instinct and were smart enough to stay alive. They were great apart but together they were an unstoppable team. They always had been. Which facing up against men and women who thought they could be the next Lord Voldemort was nothing compared to the real thing.

She could barely remember the battle, if she thought hard enough she could just remember it was raining, people had been running and screaming frantically searching for lost loved ones, and flashes of light all different colors rose in the air like a sick kaleidoscope. But the aftermath she remembered well because as Harry had uttered the Killing Curse there had been a loud, high pitched scratch and then everything had turned bright. The clouds from the storm had seemed to disappear and the sun came out instantly. The heat from houses that were on fire combined with the sun made the place unbearably hot. Bodies had lay strung across the vast land, but luckily the members of the Order were all alive and accounted for. Though there had been a moment Lupin had been missing and Tonks had begun to go from body to body looking for him.

Hermione herself had gone around to a few of the bodies (those who were dressed as Death Eaters anyway) looking to see if Severus was among them. Maybe it would have been easier for the past three years if he had been. Maybe she wouldn't be feeling as if she was betraying her friends and family by entertaining romantic notions about a man who had only once really shown her any sign that he had the slightest amount of feelings for her.

But you would have fallen apart on the spot and completely lost your mind if you had pulled back one of those masks and seen him. She knew she would have, and then what, she couldn't' lie to her friends.

What are you doing now? She questioned and took a moment to think it over. Well, she wasn't quite sure. Right now she was leaning by her bedroom window having an argument with herself about what was right for her to feel and what was wrong. And everyone thought she was the sane one.

She turned when someone knocked at the door. For the love of all things magical she hopped it wasn't Ron or Harry.

"Hermione, is everything okay?" It was just Tonks. She went to the door and opened it looking at the blue haired, smiling, pregnant woman. This Tonks was a whole lot different from the one she'd meet the summer before her fifth year.

"Hey, I noticed you'd disappeared on us. Are you aright?" Hermione stepped back to let her in and closed the door behind her. She offered Tonks a chair by the window and then sat across from her. Maybe she should try telling Tonks about Severus but what if she felt the same way about him as everyone else, which she likely did. He hadn't been the most agreeable man to anyone when he'd been the Potions Master or at anytime during the short ten years she'd known him. But then again Tonks might be able to help her. Oh boy, she was in trouble.

"Hermione I really hate to repeat myself and twice is bad but after three times I know something's up so tell me. What's wrong?" Tonks leaned forward the best she could and reached for her hand. Taking a deep breath Hermione broke and told her.

"I'm in love." At first the other woman was thrilled. Giving her hand a squeeze she said.

"I'm glad to hear that. Oh my goodness, I can't wait to meet him. Who is he? Tell me all about him." She couldn't help the humorless smile that spread across her face.

"Oh you already know him, in fact you could say he's famous. One of the most famous murder's in the wizarding world. The man who killed on of the few decent wizards there was." Tonks seemed a little stunned but said nothing as Hermione continued. "I'm in love with Severus Snape!" The exclamation was followed by silence and Hermione half feared Tonks was going to pull her wand out and hex the daylights out of her. But she didn't, apparently pregnancy played with your mind because what she said next made Hermione laugh.

"Oh, is that right. Well, good luck getting Harry and Ron to come to the wedding." It shouldn't have been funny but it was. Hermione sighed and proceeded to tell Tonks about her situation.

"It all started summer before my fifth year at Hogwarts. The day you made junk food for breakfast. Well, Snape kind of cornered me into actually having a conversation with him in the library upstairs. For the first time I looked at him and didn't see a monster or a man who thought all muggle-born were slim. He seemed so passionate and before I knew it we began to talk quite regularly, even at school but always were no one could see us. We would usually talk in his room at the castle and have tea. I didn't realize it till it was too late that I was falling for him." Hermione pause for breath and looked at Tonks who was sitting with her feet on the ottoman and a smile on her face, both hands resting on her belly. She gave a nod of encouragement and she continued felling a little weight start to lift from her shoulders.

"One night a few days before all hell broke loss we were talking, I don't remember what about, but we were sitting so close by the fire and I was watching him talk and I couldn't stop myself. I kissed him full on the mouth. Granted I'd had limited experience and very few people to compare him to but he was the best kisser I'd ever had. I knew it was wrong to kiss him like that, I mean I was his student, had been for six years. But over that year I'd began to just fall so far in love with him I didn't care. Well anyway, after I stopped kissing him he just kind of stared at me with this odd look in his eyes. And then he kissed me, I didn't know what to do but lat mature take its course. And it did, boy, did it ever. I slept with him by the fire that night until the mark called him away. Even then I knew it was over but a few days later I knew for sure." Tears welled up in her eyes and she reached to brush them away. Tonks handed her a handkerchief and watched as she openly displayed her misery. She had never been one to get emotional in front of people but she had just bared her soul to this woman. She was entitled.

It took a few minutes but she eventually put herself to rights enough to continue with her story.

"I didn't want to believe it. When Harry told me he'd killed Dumbledore it broke my heart and I tried to forget about those long talks, the accident brushes of his body and mine, and that one night with him in his room by that fire. But about two years ago I started having these dreams where I relived that night but with different settings and then last night I dreamed we were in the dungeons at Hogwarts but he didn't make love to me he just talked, he never did before. It felt so real and I woke up crying. He told me he loved me and I told him I'd find a way to tell everyone. But you're the only person I've told and them the letter this morning." She picked it up from the small coffee table that sat picked between the chairs and handed it to Tonks. She opened it up and unfolded the letter. "I have to go see him. I need to see him to. I miss him so much." The water works started again and this time she buried her head between her hands. "Oh Tonks, what am I going to do?"

Tonks waited until her sobs quitted a bit before giving her, her professional opinion.

"Well, I think if you truly love him, and I think you do, then you should go see him and tell him how you feel. Not everyone can conjure up the kind of thing you're described to me and the dreams only prove the connection between the two of you." Putting the letter back in the envelope and replacing it on the table she rose and looked down at Hermione. "Lord knows I wouldn't have gotten to Remus if I hadn't been persistent."

With that she left Hermione sitting alone by her bedroom window, her thoughts a jumbled mess. But one thing was perfectly clear she had to go see Severus.

TBC

Hoped that cleared up some of the questions. I'm working on third chapter as you read this.

-KC