PART VII

Hermione woke up once more and yet again tangled with Severus…her husband.

She smiled at that word. Husband. It had a wonderful ring to it, and she loved the fact that he was right beside her as she woke.

She turned over to watch him as he slept…only to find that his eyes were wide and watching her.

"You're awake," he said, sleep lacing his tone and making it deeper than she was used to, causing a shiver to run along her spine.

She smiled.

"How long have you been watching me sleep?"

He grinned. "Long enough."

And with that, he leaned over and gave her a soft kiss against her lips, and then stood up and grabbed an old robe from the back of the bedroom door. She made a small moue of disappointment as she watched his bare body disappear beneath the dark green terry cloth and he smiled.

"So sorry…but I do believe that we need to eat."

And with that, he left the room and walked down the stairs, leaving her lying in his bed.

She lay there for a few moments, vaguely realizing that she was eventually going to have to tell the Weasley's about her and Severus…as well as Harry.

Oh, dear, how on earth would he take it?

Of course, she reasoned to herself, if he was going to be with Draco, then he didn't have a leg to stand on if he tried to take offense with her new relationship…she grinned at that fact, and then her grin widened even further as she thought of how the Weasley's would react over him and Draco.

Hell…they would accept her and Snape more readily than they would ever accept Harry and Draco; at least Snape had been on their side in the end.

She pulled herself from under the covers and smiled as she walked over to his closet.

Opening the doors, she found a large dress shirt…surprisingly enough, it wasn't black, but a light blue, so she quickly threw it on and headed down the stairs.

She walked through one of the doorways, and instead of finding the kitchen, she had found what could only be described as the most perfect room that she'd ever seen. Though it was slightly small, and the window was covered in some grime, every single wall was a bookshelf, and they were all filled.

She stared in wonder and began to look through his collection, and then she discovered it…a whole wall dedicated to classic Muggle science fiction.

Hermione reached for one of the books, Nightfall by Isaac Asimov, and she lovingly caressed the spine.

Her father had loved these books and she'd grown up reading them in her home. She turned the page and gasped at what she saw.

It was a first edition.

Curious, she checked a few more of the books and found that most of them were first editions. She fell back into one of the cushioned chairs in the corner. If she hadn't already been married to him, she would have married him for his book collection alone.

A shadow appeared in the doorway, but went unnoticed by her.

Severus, with a mug of tea in each hand, watched as she sat in the chair nearest the window in the corner, his personal favorite spot to read, and smiled as he saw the book in her hands.

Yes, his father had been a Muggle, and though not the greatest of fathers he was good at encouraging his education.

He had given him his collection when he was younger, and he had enjoyed every single book and was the only good memory that he had of his father.

But as he watched her, thoughts began forming in his mind…how did she really feel about the fact that he'd tried to use a spell to end their marriage? It had not been because he didn't love her…his love for her was certain, of that he was sure.

It had been because he did not want to see her suffer his fate along with him.

He was already hated and reviled, and she deserved so much better than him…hopefully, she would understand that.

He stepped forward from the shadow and watched in amusement as she dropped her legs from their previous position, obviously suddenly feeling some sort of modesty.

"Severus…I didn't know you were there."

He simply gave a faint smile, more a twitch of his lips, and then twitched his finger, sending one of the mugs in her direction.

"I know," he said, a grin fully forming on his lips.

She shyly returned the grin, tucking her legs carefully under her and he watched in fascination as the material of what he now recognized to be one of his shirts slipped up her thigh, exposing skin and enticing him with each passing second.

Hermione took a sip of the tea and smiled as she recognized the flavor. It was orange-ginseng. A favorite.

How he knew, she had no idea, but then at the back of her mind she remembered what he'd told her just that morning.

The fact that he'd tried a counterspell at first had made her furious…but then she'd realized.

Severus had most likely thought that he was doing the right thing, sacrificing possible happiness of his own in order to ensure the happiness of someone else. He had so many self-esteem issues, he probably still had problems believing that she was in love with him, though she knew that he would never admit it aloud.

She loved him, and no one else…but of course, how would he take it when she told him about what she'd been about to do?

She shook her head and tossed the thought to the side for the time being.

Not now, she told herself, and then looked back up at Severus, who was leaning against one of the bookshelves, the sunlight slanting across his front through the dirt on the window.

She finally voiced her thoughts.

"Severus," she started, and his eyes snapped up to hers. "I…I understand why you did what you did. You thought you were giving me a better life, didn't you?"

At this, his eyes dropped and she felt an odd smile cross her face. Gods, what had she done to deserve such a selfless man? A man who was willing to give up his own happiness just because he thought that it would make her life better?

"I…I didn't want you to have to live with any reminders of any…past mistakes."

At this, Hermione put her mug on the small table next to the chair and stood up from it, striding across the small room over to where he stood, anger flashing in her eyes.

"How dare you call what we had a mistake!"

He quickly amended his words. "A mistake for you, not for me! You were never a mistake to me…if anything, you were a godsend…"

His voice trailed off, and Hermione found herself taken aback by the look in his eyes. It was one of utter adoration and she felt her heart flutter in her chest for a moment at the sight and what it meant for the two of them.

Finally, she found her voice and spoke, and though her words were barely above a whisper, he heard them loud and clear.

"You were never a mistake for me, Severus…never. Do you hear me?"

She lifted her hands to his face, cupping it between her palms, her thumbs gently caressing his lips.

A look passed between them, and she was faintly aware of him magicking his mug over next to hers, and then his hands came up and encircled her wrists, gently bringing her hands down from his face. There was an intensity in his gaze…and it wasn't entirely comfortable.

"Tell me, Hermione…what were you doing at the Ministry that lead Arthur Weasley to finding our marriage certificate…?"

She froze.

Part 7/?