Disclaimer - I own nothing.

Hi everyone! Well, it's the holidays and I've found myself with some free time. I know I said I would try to finish it during the summer, but I wanted to do maybe one or two more chapters through the easter holidays. I was quite surprised by the amount of people who wanted me to continue, so I thought I'd give you guys another chapter. I can't garantee any more though, it really depends on how much work I get done this week. Thanks to everyone who wanted me to continue, I WILL finish the story, it will just take longer than I expected.

Chapter 12

Severus apparated himself and Hermione to one of his most favourite places. No one knew of its existence except for his mother and himself. Hermione waited for the dizzy sensation to lift before letting go of Severus's waist and she slowly opened her eyes. She barely held back a gasp as her vision had fixed upon a large, beautiful garden. She shook her head slightly as she took in the view before her.

"Do you like it?"

She turned to Severus and noticed how nervous he looked. His hands were fiddling with his travelling cloak and he couldn't keep eye contact with her.

"Severus," she breathed, "it's amazing! Is it yours?"

"Yes. It belonged to my mother. She had a passion for Herbology and when she left Hogwarts she bought this land and made her own garden. She liked to bring me here when I was a child and she taught me about the different types of plants. She spent most of her time here and I don't blame her. My father wasn't the most pleasent of men. He was usually drunk and he often hit her. This place was like a haven for her... and me... for obvious reasons..."

He trailed off, eyes fixed on the garden. Hermione looked at him, not knowing what to say. It was rare for Severus to tell her about his childhood and when he did, she never knew how to react.

"Severus."

He slowly turned to face her. She placed her hand over his and smiled slightly. He tried to return it but Hermione thought he looked more embarrassed than anything.

"Would you like to show me around?"

She didn't want to force him to talk about this, so instead, she decided to take his mind off it for now and for that he was grateful. This time he really did smile, relieved she didn't expect him to open up to her any more than he already had. He found that he had been doing that ever since he became involved with her. He didn't hate her for it, at times he felt relieved that he had someone to talk to, but ashamed at the same time. He had been brought up to not show feelings and had learned that the hard way. But slowly, he started to talk to her about parts of his past, how he felt and even though he felt that he was betraying everything he ever stood for, he found himself caring less every time.

He looked down at her large eyes and smiled again. She wanted to explore and learn more. Her strong thirst for knowledge was barely contained on her face and it amazed him how alike they were. He himself was the same way when his mother brought him here for the first time.

He grabbed her hand and led her down the winding path into the neatly kept garden, stopping every so often when Hermione asked about certain plants. They stopped by a large oak tree in the center of the garden after hours of walking to have a rest, much to Hermione's protests.

"But there's still so much to see!"

Severus laughed, "Yes, but do not forget, you are carrying my child and I don't want you to overdo it. We shall rest for a while and then we can continue." And with that, he sat down, pulling Hermione with him. He leant against the tree, Hermione resting against his chest.

"Would you like anything to eat or drink?"

"Actually, I am quite hungry," she replied, realizing for the first time just how hungry she was. She had only eaten a few hours ago, but she felt as if she hadn't eaten at all. She supposed it was because of the baby and because she had spent most of her days at home, so she wasn't used to walking so much.

Severus pulled out his wand and muttered an incantation. Within seconds a basket appeared. He opened it and passed some sandwiches to Hermione, which she took gratefully. He pulled out some for himself and they ate in silence, both too hungry to stop and talk. When she had finished she conjoured up a glass of water for herself and Severus.

Then they resumed their original position, sitting against the tree, feeling the warm breeze against their skin. It had been a while since Hermione had felt so relaxed. Everything felt so perfect. She was in the most amazing place with the man she loved. She moved over to Severus who had his eyes closed. She smiled at how peaceful he looked.

She leant in and kissed him. He returned the kiss with enthusiasm and before she knew it, she was lying on the grass with Severus partially on top of her, their hands roaming over each other. Hermione didn't know how long they had been there and she didn't care. All she could think about now was Severus and her growing need that was trying to take over.

Severus was also experiencing the same problem. He managed to slow down and resumed kissing her lightly, making her whimper at the loss of contact. He smiled slightly at her reaction before completely pulling away. They lay next to each other, panting slightly. Severus's hand lay on Hermione's stomach, which had produced the smallest bump. It wasn't enough to give away the fact she was pregnant, but she knew it was there and she loved it. She loved the knowledge of having a life in there, that belonged to her and Severus.

After a while Severus spoke.

"I'm sorry about that Hermione."

She looked at him, then replied, "I hope you are apologising for stopping."

He looked at her, smiling slightly. "You wouldn't honestly say that you would do that outside?"

Hermione coloured slightly, "Nothing like that, no, but what we were doing was nice."

"Yes, but any longer and I wouldn't have stopped at all," he replied, narrowing his eyes slightly.

She laughed and replied playfully, "And that would have been a bad thing?"

Severus allowed himself to smile before sitting up. He looked down at her before saying, "Would you like to continue the tour?"

She beamed up at him and replied, "I would love to."

Severus helped her to her feet and they carried on through the other half of the garden. They had walked through most of the garden when Hermione suddely stopped.

"Um, Severus, what's this?"

Severus turned to find Hermione looking at a small shrub like plant.

"That is one of my mothers creations. Apparently if used correctly in a potion, it can prevent death... even if the killing curse is cast. The problem is, I haven't been able to create a potion for it, so I've never been able to test it."

Hermione stared in wonder at the plant. It must be quite complex if Severus has never found a way to create a potion for it. They moved on, talking around the whole garden. Neither of them had noticed the sky had turned dark. They only noticed when the temperature started to drop.

Severus turned to Hermione and sighed, "Well I suppose I should take you back. Molly will kill me."

Hermione noticed that he looked quite disappointed and being honest, so was she. She couldn't believe how fast the day went and she was sad to have to leave him.

"Ok."

"Hold on, I would like to give you something first."

She looked on in curiosity as he walked over to a nerby rose bush and cut off one of the roses. There was no thorns on its stem because of an enchantment placed upon it. He walked back over to where she stood then handed it to her and as she took it she noticed it had changed colour. She opened her mouth to speak, but Severus spoke before she got the chance.

"It's enchanted. It changes colour with your mood."

"It's beautiful Severus. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"What does gold mean?"

"That you're extremely happy. It only turns gold if you're in love." He looked slightly surprised at this.

Hermione smiled. She didn't need a rose to tell her that, but the gesture was sweet. Severus didn't really do it often, so when he did it was even more special.

"Well, it's true. I do love you Severus."

He smiled and leant down to kiss her. It was a soft kiss, unlike the others. When he pulled back he looked straight into her eyes.

"Good... because I love you too."

That night, Hermione went to sleep with a huge smile on her face, the rose that was now in a small vase on her bedside cabinet was glowing a brilliant golden colour.

Well, what did you think? I hope you all enjoyed it, since it's been a while! Let me know what you think and I'm really sorry if I can't get another chapter out soon, but I will definently be able to finish it during the summer! Please review!