Disclaimer: Harry Potter is owned by JK Rowling et al. Any characters or locations you recognise are the intellectual property of these individuals and corporations. I make no money from the writing of this story.
This chapter is the reason this story is rated M. Lemons ahead.
THANK YOU to everyone who is continuing to read, alert and favourite this story. Most THANKS go to those who are taking the time to review—you make my day with each and every one.
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Chapter VIII
Hermione eased her way down the stairs on Sunday morning, intent on making breakfast for everyone in the chateau. She stopped in surprise in the doorway to the kitchen, having seen a veritable feast laid out under stasis charms on the table. Harry was sitting on the settee with Jacques in his arms, crooning to him.
"Cat got your tongue?" Harry asked with a smirk.
"I thought I might have a chance to do something nice for you all but clearly I was mistaken. How long have you been up?"
"About two hours," Harry replied. "Help yourself," he said, gesturing to the table.
Hermione grumbled under breath as she filled a plate with toast, eggs, bacon and sausage. She poured herself a generous cup of tea before taking a seat near to where Harry was sitting. "Have you eaten?" she asked.
"Yep," he said. "I make a good breakfast, if I do say so myself," he boasted.
"Nice to see the tickets you have on yourself," Hermione teased him. Her face grew serious as her friend yawned widely. "Harry, you are sleeping, aren't you?" she asked worriedly. She knew how Harry could be. She could definitely see him shouldering most of the burden of the baby in order to spare Gabrielle as much of the unpleasantness as possible.
"I'm fine, Hermione," Harry said with a reassuring smile. "I won't lie; interrupted sleep has quickly become our new normal. We went up at midnight last night, as you know, just in time for a quick feeding. We were woken again at two, four and six. I can't feed Jacques," he said with a chuckle which Hermione echoed. "I woke up long enough at two and four only to register the time. Gabrielle was the one to get up both times. When he woke at six, so did I. I sat with Gabrielle while she fed him and then brought him down here for some quality father-son bonding and also to give Mummy some rest time." He said the last part in a sort of baby talk directed at his son.
"We've started a little routine whereby his next feeding, which will probably be any minute now, is the one per day that he has from a bottle. Gabrielle expresses for it during the day. It gives me a chance to be with him while Gabrielle gets some undisturbed rest. We're all happy," he said.
Hermione had a look of wondrous happiness on her face at his words. "Oh, Harry," she said brokenly. "I will wish for a husband like you one day."
Harry smiled in return before his expression turned thoughtful. "I can see Snape being the same. He is protective if nothing else. I mean, he hated me, but I didn't have a fiercer protector than him. Imagine him with his own child."
A blush rose on Hermione's cheeks. "We haven't even slept together yet, Harry, I think it's too early to be speculating about children," she said.
"How long have you been together?" he asked.
"A couple of weeks," Hermione replied.
"I am happy for you," Harry said seriously. "You look more settled and content than I have seen you in years; maybe ever, actually. If Snape is the man that brings you to this state then I will back and defend the two of you until I'm blue in the face. Just don't expect me to have to go on holiday with him or anything."
"Maybe not straight away," Hermione conceded with a grin. "But eventually I think the two of you would get used to each other. I know I've not been with him long, but something tells me this is it. I was with Ron for six years and I never felt this certain, even though I thought he was the one. Does that make sense?"
"Yes," Harry replied. "I didn't have much of a comparison; I mean, after the war it was obvious to me that Ginny was not the one I wanted to spend my life with. When I came here after we settled your parents and I became friends and later got into a relationship with Gabrielle, I was absolutely certain that she was it. People think we rushed things because we got married three days after she turned seventeen but I just knew we were meant to be together. I didn't even want to wait for her to finish school!"
Hermione laughed. She remembered the scandal well. Harry and Gabrielle had eloped over the Christmas break—to Las Vegas of all places! Two weeks after their wedding, Gabrielle returned to school to finish her seventh year. There had been uproar in Wizarding Britain over Harry's actions and it had even caused problems between her and Ron for a time. Hermione was unwavering in her support for Harry and his desire to be with the one he loved while Ron was incensed that Harry had spurned his sister for a witch who, he stilled considered, was a child. Fleur and Bill had had a similar strain over the issue but they got over it quickly, realising that Harry and Gabrielle's actions were really none of their business.
"So when are you planning for me and your boyfriend to get together?" Harry asked.
"When I think the two of you can stand to be in a room together," Hermione retorted. "And he's not my boyfriend."
"Wait, I'm confused. I thought you said you were in a relationship with him," Harry said.
"I am, but he does not want to be known as my boyfriend," Hermione explained.
Harry looked concerned. "I'm starting to wonder if I should be so supportive, Hermione," he said cautiously. "You're together but he doesn't want people to know about it?"
"No, that's not what I meant," Hermione said with a wave of her hand. "I meant that he objects to the term, 'boyfriend'. He is… my partner. My equal; we are partners in our relationship."
"O-kay," Harry drawled.
"Oh, and he has a bone to pick with you!" Hermione remembered.
Harry rolled his eyes. "Of course he does," he muttered.
"Yes, so do I for that matter," Hermione said.
"What did I do?" he asked in an affronted tone.
"I realise you were excited. I know you were probably bursting with the news. I have to ask you though, how many favours do you think you would have had to call in for breaking the International Statute of Secrecy?" she asked.
"Huh?" was Harry's eloquent response.
"You sent me a Patronus to tell me about Jacques birth. You were fortunate I was with Severus at the time and we were alone," Hermione said wryly.
"Oops," Harry said sheepishly. "Lucky I'm the Boy-Who-Lived, hey?" Hermione could only shake her head in fond exasperation. She was comforted by the thought that her best friend would never change.
.
When Hermione was waiting for the ferry to depart from Calais, she dithered about who she should send a text message to informing them of her expected arrival time in Hastings. As much as she wanted to send the message to Severus, she felt that assuming he would come and pick her up was a bit much. It would be different if he had offered but when they had texted the previous night, he had just said he would see her when she got back. In the end, she sent the message to her father, her phone battery dying only moments after she received his confirming reply.
Fleur had offered for Hermione to tag on with their International Portkey from the French Ministry to Shell Cottage and apparate home from there, but Hermione had left England using her Muggle passport, and so had to re-enter the country the Muggle way in order to avoid any entanglements around the International Statute of Secrecy. She also wanted to avoid running into Bill. As much as she had always gotten along with Ron's oldest brother, he was still a Weasley and while she knew Bill would never try to come between her and his wife, ultimately he might feel a sense of responsibility to tell certain members of his family that she was still around. Out of sight was out of mind, according to Hermione, and she did not want Molly or Ginny to suddenly be reminded that they held a grudge against her and attempt to contact her. Perhaps she underestimated her own importance but Hermione was happily ensconced in her new life and she did not want a lot of her old one crossing over into it if she could help it.
Thus it was that when Hermione alit from the train in Hastings, she was surprised to see Severus waiting for her, casually leaning against a column and watching her with a half irritated-half affectionate look on his face.
"Is there a reason you neglected to inform me of your arrival time?" he asked as she approached him.
"I didn't want to assume you would come to collect me," Hermione said honestly. She remembered his words about secrets and lies and manipulations and games. Forthrightness would be more impressive to him than her trying to pussyfoot her way around why she had not contacted him.
Severus gathered her into his arms and leaned down to peck her on the lips. "From now on, assume I will come to collect you from any place, at any time," he said.
"Unless there is an emergency with one of your patients," Hermione qualified.
"You are more important than my patients," he said seriously. "I would either find another doctor to attend my patients or arrange for someone else to collect you if necessary. Have your parents ever left you in the lurch for a patient?"
"Not when it really mattered," Hermione said.
"Exactly. Now that we have gotten that out of the way, how was your weekend with Potter?" Hermione grinned at the way her partner tried (and failed) to keep the derisiveness from his tone when he spoke of her best friend.
"It was wonderful," she said. "I'm the Godmother."
"Congratulations," he said sincerely. "That is indeed an honour. It makes you part of the family."
"Thank you." They chatted inconsequently all the way through the station and out to the car. When they were on the road, Hermione turned to Severus and placed her hand gently on his thigh. "I am sorry," she said softly.
"It is forgotten," he assured her. "Unless you do it again," he said in mock-warning.
"All right," she said with a smile. She went to move her hand away, but Severus trapped it where it was.
"Leave it," he said huskily. "I like it."
Hermione bit her lip slightly and began to lightly caress his leg, pulling a groan from him. They drove in silence for quite a while until Hermione realised they were not heading toward White Swan. "Where are we going?" she asked.
"I want to briefly stop in on one of my patients in Ewhurst Green then I thought you might enjoy a trip to one of the wineries in East Sussex. Peter has asked me to pick up a few cases for the pub. Finally there is a delightful Thai restaurant close by that I would like to take you to. Are you up for all that?" he asked.
Hermione blinked. She looked down at her clothes. Having been travelling for most of the day she had dressed for comfort and was wearing a pair of jeans, a simple black twinset and hiking boots. Although looking at Severus, he was also wearing jeans and boots along with a shirt and worn suede jacket. "That sounds lovely," she said.
Severus breathed a small sigh of relief. They had weathered their first misunderstanding, as minor as it had been, and Hermione seemed to be happy with the spontaneous nature of his plans. The rest of their impromptu date went without a hitch.
.
Several weeks passed fairly uneventfully. Hermione completed her introductory cooking class and immediately signed up for a writing course to polish her skills and begin to form a network of authors she could turn to for help if needed. She was meeting regularly with Mr Bay to outline their book. They had decided to approach the project as delivering a text book that would hopefully appeal to high school history curriculums. Two publishers had already expressed interest in seeing their final work. Her driving lessons were going well and Andrew South foresaw no problems with her attaining her full license very soon. Tuesday and Wednesday nights were spent with Severus at the pub. She always ate with the Souths but they would depart early in order to get their boys home and into bed. As the weather grew warmer and the days longer, more of the villagers would come out in the early evening and stop in the pub for a drink. The pub was always empty by eight o'clock though, which left Hermione and Severus with three hours of private conversation shared over a couple of pints of bitter followed by a leisurely stroll home.
It was one of these Tuesdays that their relationship moved to the next level.
"All done," Severus said as he pulled the metal grille down to protect the glass front doors. Hermione watched as he locked the deadlock on the grille and marvelled as she had every week so far at how Peter had managed to find a visible security barrier that did not make the place look like Fort Knox. Decorative grilles fitted to the windows and the one across the door ensured no one would be able to break in but still left the beautiful stained glass visible. The pub was closed for most of the morning when the rest of the village shops opened so the security grilles did not take away from the overall ambience of the other buildings.
"Ready, then?" Hermione asked, holding her hand out to him. Severus took her hand and used it to pull her closer to his body. She gasped slightly when she found herself plastered to his side. Looking up into his eyes, she smiled brilliantly as she placed her hand on his chest and flexed her fingers slightly, feeling for the muscles beneath his shirt. He growled at her before smiling at the whimpering noise she made in response. Lowering his head, he met her lips with his; turning so they were facing each other fully as they kissed. "Hmm," Hermione said and cleared her throat slightly. Severus smiled again and kept one arm around her tightly as they began their walk back to Hermione's house.
Unlike other nights, tonight they walked in silence, their arms around each other's waists. Severus also bent down often to kiss the crown of Hermione's head. If anyone had been observing them, they would have immediately seen the closeness and true affection the pair held for each other.
As on other nights, they stopped once they reached the gate of the Grangers' house. "So, Mum and Dad are away until tomorrow night," Hermione said as she gently ran her hands over Severus's chest and around his back. Alana and Emmet had taken a few days away to celebrate their wedding anniversary.
"I know," Severus replied as he copied her actions, drawing her long hair over her shoulders as he did so. He caressed her neck softly.
"Do you want to come inside?" she asked hopefully.
"Yes, I do," he replied. Hermione smiled as she took his hand and opened the gate. They made their way slowly up the front walk, the enormity of what was possibly about to happen in the forefront of both their minds. Funnily enough both of them had experienced an absence of sex from their lives for about the same period of time—Hermione had last slept with Ron a few days before she caught him with the other man, and Severus had enjoyed the company of one of the female passengers on-board the cruise ship at the beginning of his holiday.
Willing herself not to fumble with her keys, Hermione's internal prayers were answered when the key smoothly fitted into the lock and the door opened with no problems. She quickly disabled the security alarm and invited him in. Severus took a few steps into the hallway before turning back to look at the witch who had come to be so important in his life. He wanted nothing more than to take their relationship to the next level and it seemed, unless he had wildly misinterpreted her signals, so did she. He hoped there would be no interruptions this time. Right now she used her body to close the door and leant on it. Maintaining steady eye contact with him she twisted her arm slightly in order to snick the deadlock back into place. The click of the lock seemed to trigger something in Severus, as though she had locked the outside world out and reduced the population to only the pair of them. In only two strides he had pinned her to the door with his body and crashed his lips onto hers.
Hermione loved the way he took complete control of the kiss. Normally Severus would gently trace her lips with only the very tip of his tongue, wordlessly asking for permission to deepen their kiss. Not this time. This time he swiped the broad part of his tongue insistently across the seam of her lips, almost forcefully prying them open. She willingly opened her mouth at the silent demand and moaned when he took possession of the interior of her mouth.
She dimly felt his hands playing around the hem of her top, his fingers brushing against her bare skin. Sucking up her confidence, she boldly guided one of his hands to explore further underneath her shirt and lifted one of her legs to hook around his hip, bringing their clothed groins into contact with one another. Both of them groaned at the extra stimulation which served to drive their passion even higher. Hermione began to unbutton Severus's shirt, and made a little mewl of distress when he stopped her.
"Not here, My Own," he said raggedly. "Our first time should not be against a door."
"Mmm," Hermione agreed. "Let's go upstairs."
As Hermione led him up the stairs, she stopped every two or three steps to kiss him. Since he was on the lower stairs to her, their heads were at the same height as they kissed. It took all of Severus's inner strength to keep pushing her up the staircase; the image of taking her right there on the stairs was tantalising but ultimately no better than against the door. Hermione continued unbuttoning his shirt as they made their way to the second floor. Wanting to feel her body against his again, he pushed her up against the wall as soon as they made it to the landing. She hooked her leg back up around his hip immediately and ground her hips into his groin as their lips met in fiery passion once more.
Hermione succeeded this time in unbuttoning Severus's shirt completely. The lapels hung open, exposing his chest to the dim light from the hall lamp Hermione had left on earlier. She pushed him back from her body slightly so she could examine him. Severus braced himself using one hand against the wall and stood still under her perusal. She liked what she saw. He was lean and wiry. She knew that in years past his voluminous robes and many layers had hidden a body that was little more than skin and bone, but the intervening period of time free from stress and daily fear for his life had filled him out so now she was faced with hard planes, defined muscles and visible health and strength.
She reached out one hand and began to caress her fingertips over his skin. She threaded them through the dark, fine hairs that graced his chest and trailed them down the line over his navel that led to the prize she sought.
"Which door?" he rasped.
"What?" Hermione asked distractedly, still focusing on playing with the hair that disappeared beneath the waistband of his slacks.
"Which door is the one to your room?" he asked. "I need you on a bed, now!"
Hermione laughed a breathless little laugh at hearing the desire in his voice. It seemed as though his passion for her equalled hers for him. She fumbled with her hand blindly until she found the handle of the door to her bedroom and pressed it down. Capturing her lips with his, Severus pushed her backwards through the door. Hermione's hand continued to fumble as she looked for the light switch. As he heard the click, Severus prepared for the bright light and was surprised when only a muted glow came from the shade on the ceiling.
"Would it be forward of me to admit I hoped for this and dimmed the light before I left?" Hermione asked breathlessly.
"No more forward than me already leaving the money out for the milkman because I was hoping I would not be spending the night at home myself," Severus replied.
As he walked her backwards to the bed, still kissing her hungrily, he lifted her top up, only breaking their kisses long enough to pull it over her head. His fingers immediately sought the clasp to her bra and he unfastened it with a dexterity she had never experienced in a man before. Granted she had only ever been with one man, but it was something he had never learned how to do very well. She pushed all thoughts of Ron from her mind, quickly realising that any comparison she could draw between the two men would see Severus coming out leaps and bounds in front of Ron. Better she focus her attentions on the here and now in order to soak up the entire experience.
The rest of their clothes were dispensed of in a hurried manner. They both knew there would be time later for slow reveals and gentle caresses; this time was about their desperation to be joined as one. Without stopping their kissing, Severus lowered Hermione to the bed and hovered over her as he pushed her gently to lie on her back. Her legs opened of their own volition, allowing Severus to lie in the cradle of her hips.
"Are you protected?" he asked. He was poised close to her entrance but had to check before just plunging in as he desired. He could tell she was ready, the heady scent of her arousal was wreaking havoc with his senses and he could feel himself getting harder by the second.
Hermione nodded. "Yes, I am," she replied. "I have condoms, too, if you feel more comfortable. I am clean though."
"I have no doubt," he said. "I am clean as well," he assured her.
"I have no doubt either," she said with a smile. "I just thought I should reassure you given I was having sex with Ron and he turned out to be…" she trailed off, her implication clear.
With a slight frown, Severus said, "There will be no thinking and certainly no speaking of another man while you are in bed with me." His face softened. "I know you would have had yourself checked, I'm sure your parents would have insisted."
"They did," Hermione replied before grimacing slightly. Talking about her parents was just as disturbing as thinking about Ron. "From now on no talking about anyone other than us," she proposed.
"I heartily concur," Severus agreed. "I trust that you are protected, unless you really want me to wear a condom, right now I just want to bury myself in you."
"I'm more than ready," Hermione said. "Please, Severus, please, I want to feel you in me." Hermione arched her back as she spoke and opened her legs wider.
Severus did not wait; with one thrust he buried himself into her wet heat to the hilt. Both drew in sharp breaths as their bodies aligned and Severus stilled in order to gain control of his desire. Apart from the first few times he had had sex in his younger years he had always prided himself on his staying power. As soon as he found himself surrounded by Hermione, he had the urge to spill immediately like some adolescent boy. He needed the few precious moments to calm his libido and ensure he made a decent enough showing to have Hermione wanting more.
For her part, Hermione had to stop herself from screaming aloud at the pleasurable stretch she felt as Severus had pushed into her. Her conscious thought reduced to only two words: 'So big!' A part of her was glad that he stilled his movements as soon as he entered her fully. She needed that time to get used to his size. Over the years, Hermione had read many magazine articles and romance stories where women spoke about feeling every inch of a man when he was sheathed within her. Until this moment she had thought it was a load of bull-hockey. As Severus slowly withdrew from her and pushed back in, Hermione finally experienced for herself what these other women obviously had. Inch by inch, Hermione could feel the head of Severus' cock as it forged a path in her hot channel and paved the way for the rest of him.
As he thrust into her for the third time, Severus could feel his control begin to slip. He stilled again and rested his head right by Hermione's.
"Don't stop, Sev, please… don't stop," Hermione begged.
"I'm finding it hard…" Severus started.
"Me too," Hermione said with a saucy grin.
"Minx," he chastised her. "I fear you will be the undoing of me, I feel like I'm going to burst any second."
Hermione brought one hand up to caress the side of his face. "This isn't some sort of marathon, Darling. Move up a bit," she instructed him. "Let me rub my clit while you fuck me and we can both come quickly, together. We can do slow and sensual later."
Severus levered himself off her completely so he was standing again. He grasped her hips and brought them to the edge of the bed, lifting them into position. "All right," he agreed. He thrust into her again and stilled once more. When Hermione reached down to begin rubbing herself, Severus gently grabbed her wrist and edged her hand away. "I'll do that," he said. With any luck the task of bringing her off at the same time would distract him enough to make it last a little bit longer.
Hermione lay back down and reached behind her to grab a pillow. She shoved it under the small of her back to help support her before giving herself over to the pleasure of Severus thrusting in and out of her while expertly fingering her clit. It did not take long at all before she was moaning with abandon and doing her best to meet his hard thrusts. When she reached her sudden climax, she arched off the bed so violently only her shoulders and head were left in contact with the mattress.
Hearing Hermione scream her orgasm and clench tightly around his hardness caused Severus to tumble off the edge as well. With a loud grunt, he emptied his balls into the woman below him as her internal muscles continued to clench and squeeze him. Hermione continued to emit a high-pitched keening noise as she came down from her orgasm. Severus found his legs could no longer support him fully and he collapsed forward, trapping Hermione under his body—not that she minded; she immediately wrapped her arms and legs around him, surrounding him with her warmth as the last of his tremors subsided.
"Incredible," she whispered.
"I can do much better," Severus replied.
"Wow, better might kill me," Hermione said with a breathless laugh.
"But what a way to go," they said in unison, laughing together at their shared joke. They lay in the afterglow for several minutes, kissing softly and caressing each other's bodies gently. It was only when Hermione's legs almost collapsed from around Severus's body that they realised they should probably move. Severus turned off the light while Hermione drew back the covers. They had a quick discussion about who slept on which side before settling down in each other's arms. Hermione knew her sleep would be restless and disturbed (she hoped) for the rest of the night but in that moment, she found she could not care less.
.
Severus woke in the early morning light, immediately remembering where he was and who he held in his arms. He looked down at Hermione, currently comfortably pillowed on his chest. He tightened his arms around her, his movement disturbing her from her slumber.
"Good morning," she said huskily.
"Good morning," he replied. "I'm sorry; I did not mean to wake you."
"It's okay," Hermione said, rubbing her eyes and yawning. "Excuse me."
Severus watched as she lifted her left arm to run her fingers through her hair. "May I ask you a difficult and personal question?" he queried.
"Of course," Hermione said. "I don't want to hide anything from you."
"Why are you continuing to maintain a glamour charm on your arm right now?" Hermione still sported the scar from Bellatrix Lestrange.
Hermione looked at her arm in surprise. "I didn't realise," she said with a frown. "I'm just so used to it. I know we said no speaking of another man while in bed, but Ron was always uncomfortable seeing it. He equated it to failure and it was easier to hide it than deal with him."
"Failure?" Severus spat. "What did he expect you to do after suffering Cruciatus at the end of Lestrange's wand? How dare he—" He was cut off by Hermione placing her finger over his lips.
"His failure, not mine," Hermione said gently. "His failure to protect me, his failure to rescue me in time. That was what he couldn't deal with. I know I was a downtrodden mess, but if he thought this was due to some failure of mine then our relationship would never have gotten off the ground. He is a reprobate, but he did have some good qualities." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Waving her hand over the affected area, the letters slowly came into view.
"Wandless?" Severus asked. "I'm impressed."
"It's the only thing I can do at will," Hermione confessed. "I bet you can do plenty."
Severus wordlessly summoned his watch and fastened it to his wrist. "That is the extent of my wandless capabilities I am afraid."
"So modest," Hermione said with a grin. "That is one of the hardest things to learn with a wand." It had taken her several months to master that particular spell with accuracy using her wand. The few times she had tried to do it without having her wand in her hand had left her at the point of collapse.
"I might have some news for you regarding this scar," Severus said.
"Oh?"
"I have been looking into some things and I have found a plastic surgeon in America who is a wizard. I'm waiting to hear back from him but it looks good," he said a little bit nervously. He had done this of his own accord and he hoped he was not overstepping his bounds. He had made the scar removal potion for her but it had not worked—likely due to the cursed blade that was used. It simply meant they had to explore alternative options.
"You've gone that far in looking? For me?" she asked.
"Yes," he replied.
"Why?"
"Because I know what it is like to hide something from the world. I know the eventual toll it takes on you. I know that this upsets you greatly because you always hide it yet you never hide the scar you received in the Department of Mysteries." He traced the thin, white line that started at her collarbone and finished below her breast. "Mostly, I did it because I love you, and I would do anything in my power for you."
"Oh, you said it!" Hermione whispered; her eyes bright and a large smile stealing across her face.
"Said what?" Severus asked.
"You love me," Hermione said.
"No, you must have been hearing things," he teased.
"My hearing is perfectly fine," she told him. "You know I love you too," she said.
"Now I do," he said softly. He moved them so they were face to face and gently kissed her. Their kisses quickly turned to unbridled passion and they made love again in the early morning light that was seeping in through the curtains.
When they had come down from the highs of their mutual orgasms, Severus kissed the top of Hermione's head. "I should go," he said softly.
"I know," Hermione said. She tightened her arms around him though, as though keeping him there with her. "I don't want you to; I want you to stay here with me forever." She immediately cringed at her words. 'Way to put the pressure on, idiot!' she thought.
"Forever is a long time," Severus commented. "Even though I agree with you."
Hermione let out a small breath of relief at his agreement. She knew she had made the sort of comment that often caused men to run for the hills. "What do you have on today?" she asked.
"Clinic this morning and this afternoon I am heading up to Ewhurst Green to check on Mrs Carmichael. I thought I might pop into Mrs Tildebrand's on the way back as well and make sure she is keeping up with her medications all right," he replied. "What about you?"
"Nothing much," Hermione said with a sigh. "I have some research to do for the book but I should be able to get most of it off the internet. Do you want me to bring you some morning tea?"
"I won't say no to a vanilla slice," Severus said with a grin.
Hermione laughed. "You're only able to get away with that because Mum isn't here. What do you think Dad would say if he found out you indulged in such a sweet without him?"
"He would praise my resourcefulness and applaud my intention of keeping half aside for him to scarf down in the morning," Severus predicted.
"How on earth did I end up actually becoming your sweet dealer?" Hermione asked.
A gleam appeared in Severus' eye. "You are a natural rebel," he said. "Only now the egregious regime is your mother and her stringent dietary requirements. Your insurgency is the only thing standing between Emmet and me turning into organic health specimens."
"You are so full of it," Hermione said through her giggles. This was what she had been missing in her previous relationship. This relaxed camaraderie and pointless banter interspersed with loving caresses and gentle kisses. She knew without a doubt that this was how she wanted her life to be; waking in Severus' arms, enjoying a rousing morning session of sex followed by an easy conversation before finally rising to face the day. As if on cue, Severus' pager started beeping in the pocket of his trousers. With an apologetic look, he got out of the bed and rummaged through his discarded clothes, slipping on his boxer shorts as he went. He pulled the pager from the pocket and swore when he read the message.
"Is there a phone up here?" he asked, some urgency to his tone.
"Yes, to the left in the hallway," Hermione immediately responded. While Severus rushed out of the room, she got up and retrieved fresh clothes from her drawers. She was just donning her robe when Severus hurried back into the room and picked up his shirt.
"I am so sorry; Mrs Carmichael has taken a turn for the worse. I need to get out there," he said as he buttoned his shirt. Hermione just nodded and found his socks and shoes for him.
"I had been hoping to make you a nice breakfast," she said. "But I will bring you something at tea time."
Severus smiled at her gratefully. Even though she knew that she was the most important person in his life, he was pleased that she also knew there would be times when he had to leave her for one of his patients. Once he was fully dressed he gathered her into his arms and placed a tender kiss on her lips. "Thank you for last night; and this morning. Thank you for being so understanding as well."
"The pitfalls of loving the local GP," Hermione said theatrically. "Go, I hope Mrs Carmichael is all right."
"I love you," Severus said. They shared one last, quick kiss before he apparated away. Less than a minute later she heard the engine of his Land Rover as it sped past the front gate. She went to the window and watched as the four wheel drive receded in the distance and blew a soft kiss after it.
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At ten thirty Hermione entered the medical offices, a plate of fresh-baked bran muffins and a tray of vanilla slice in hand. She immediately noticed the sombre mood and her heart sank a little. Barbara gave her a small, sad smile and gestured with her chin to Severus' office.
"He just got back," she said quietly. "Give me those and go in, he's alone." Hermione nodded and left the food on the reception desk.
She reached the door to Severus' office and knocked quietly before opening the door. Severus had been leaning his head on his fists but looked up as soon as the door had opened. Upon recognising her, he slumped back into his chair and covered his face with his hands. Hermione closed the door gently behind her and crossed to him immediately. He turned his chair and rested his head against her abdomen, clasping his hands around her waist. Hermione placed one hand on his shoulder and the other began caressing his head softly. "Can you tell me?" she asked. She felt him nod against her stomach.
"She's gone, there was nothing else I could do," Severus said. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
At the beginning of his career he used to take the death of one of his patients personally. What good was he as a doctor if he could not save the people he was trained to treat? Emmet had sat him down one day after Severus had trashed his office when a patient had succumbed to cancer and reminded him that doctors were not miracle workers and he should know that people did not in fact live forever. It was certainly in Severus' job description to do everything humanly possible to keep his patients alive but everyone's time was up eventually and he would find himself in an early grave if he continued to try and fight the inevitable.
"I'm sorry," Hermione said. Severus reached up and grasped her hands, pulling her down into his lap. He nuzzled his nose into her hair and revelled in the feel of her.
"Thank you. Her suffering is over," he said. With a visible effort, he pulled himself together and placed a gentle kiss on her temple. "Did you bring me some vanilla slice?" he asked.
Hermione smiled. "Yes, but you must eat a bran muffin and some fruit first," she said sternly. "I imagine you've not eaten anything yet. If you eat your breakfast like a good boy then you may have some vanilla slice. Come on, Barbara's probably put it all in the kitchen by now." She got off his lap and put her hand out to him.
Severus grasped her hand and rose from his chair. When Hermione started to walk away, he tugged on her hand to pull her back. "I would like you to accompany me to Mrs Carmichael's wake this evening."
"Of course I will," she said immediately. Despite the circumstances she gave him a small smile. Even though nearly everyone in the village was aware of their relationship, they had yet to appear at a function together. Doing so would definitely declare to all and sundry that they were a committed couple. She reached up to cup his cheek. "It would be my honour." Severus allowed her to pull him from the office to the kitchen and let her fuss over him until his first postponed patient arrived.
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