A/N: I don't own anything, yet... thank you for all your reviews and all those reviews I know you meant to write, but didn't!
"Enough of this for now," he said softly closing the album. She nodded taking it from him and setting it on the nightstand.
"It must be a lot to take in, all these pictures, these moments you don't remember," she said softly.
"I'm sorry I ever doubted you were telling the truth, Hermione. When were we supposed to marry?" he asked his eyes catching the ring on her finger again.
"We actually never set a date, we wanted to wait until after the war ended. After we won, you were here, unable to even open your eyes." He watched tears forming in her eyes, gently he reached up and wiped them from her cheeks.
"I still don't remember anything from that time, I was hoping, as I know you were, the photoes would help jog something."
"Give it time, Severus."
"Dinner!" The pair looked up at the doorway to see a witch bringing in Severus' dinner tray.
"Please tell me this will be better than the so called chicken at lunch," he whispered. Hermione sirpressed a giggle.
"Yes, dinner's always better," she stated as the witch rolled her eyes and left the pair.
"Hermione, how did you know I'd wake up? You said yourself they were ready to commit you because you wouldn't leave. Why did you have so much faith in me?"
"Because, you're you, Severus. You hate the idea of serving anyone, of answering to anyone now you're free, so if Death told you to come with him, you'd hex him and come back just to be contrary," she commented with a smirk. "Besides, if I gave up hope, if I gave up on you, I'd have had nothing left."
"Your friends?"
"Other than Luna, we're not in touch, they threatened to kidnap me from your side. That was the day you woke up and immediately took house points from Ron. Those were you first words on waking, ' Fifty points from Gryffindor for sheer ignorance'." He raised an eyebrow and laughed.
"After being in a coma for three months those were my first words?" She nodded.
"Yes, I'll never forget the look on Ron's face. I'll have to share it with you sometime, not now, I have no idea how using occlumancy will affect your mind. I'd rather not do anything to risk your mind." He agreed taking a bite of his dinner.
"Two days. I can leave in two days," he stated changing the subject. "Tell me about our house."
"It's reasonably sized, two bedrooms. We share one and keep the other for guests."
"We get guests?"
"No, you usually scare them away from staying," she teased. "You have a decent sized lab, we have a library that is slowly taking over the whole house."
"Sounds lovely. And you said it was in my name."
"Yes, property laws are simply archaic still. Until we're married it'll have to remain in your name. You have a contract with one of the local apothicaries for supplies."
"I see. How long have we been living there."
"Nearly a year and a half on and off. You were still teaching, and I was still sort of attending school and then helping Harry hunt for the horcruxes."
"No one from the order tried to stop this?"
"Me and you? They tried, believe me, they tried, but in the end, I was an adult and they realized either could shut the hell up or I would stop helping them," she stated as if it meant nothing. Maybe to her it didn't. Severus couldn't believe how much she'd changed from the way he remembered her in school. She definitely grown into being a very stubborn, brave Gryffindor.
"Is the bed in the guest room comfortable?" he asked.
"Not really, that was your idea."
"Of course it was, Merlin I never thought I'd have to sleep on it, did I?"
"You still don't. It's your choice, you know. You're still welcome in the master bed, if you want. We don't have to do anything you don't wish," she added with a sad smile.
"No, it wouldn't be fair to you, Hermione, for things to go back to being the same, yet so different. We shared a bed in every sense of the word?"
"Yes. Yes, we did. You were a gentleman about it, I promise," she sighed as if the memory annoyed her. He had no doubt that to some degree it probably did. Despite everything he knew he'd never have taken advantage of a woman, especially not one he apparently cared very deeply for.
"Glad to know," he commented dryly watching her as she glared at him slightly. She once again debated hitting him with a pillow.
"I wouldn't if I were you, remember what happened last time. We spent nearly three hours cleaning up all those feathers." She froze, her mouth dropping open.