Moving On, Nick Cave and Warren Ellis

Six months later

Hermione had been acting strange. She was a little withdrawn, a little distant. At first Severus didn't think anything of it. He'd always heard women went through phases where they were irrational and emotional. Hermione and irrational did not belong in the same sentence. He thought perhaps this was just her way of fulfilling the feminine need of being emotional while still being herself.

But he also worried that she was pulling away from him.

The month before, she'd asked him about the future and he'd done what he thought was right. What was fair to her. It happened while they were getting ready for the morning. Most of her belongings were in his rooms now. The staff did not comment- though Minerva had sat Hermione down for a long chat the day after Potter and Weasley had left from that first visit- but it was commonly known now that Severus and Hermione were involved. She had been looking through her papers and Severus had spotted a mistake on one.

"Why Miss Granger, I do believe there is an error on this page. I'd suggest you fix it, lest I remove ten points from Gryffindor for your mistake," he'd teased softly.

"Right away, Professor," she said in a high falsetto voice. They laughed together. "Whatever are you going to do to correct me when someday I'm Mrs Snape instead of Miss Granger? I can hardly see you mocking Mrs Snape-" she stopped when she saw his expression. Her face heated and she blinked a few times and swallowed. "I don't mean any time soon, Sev. Just someday in the future, if-" she faltered and fell silent.

"You will never be Mrs Snape," he said angrily. The anger was directed at himself because of regret and sadness, but she thought it was directed at her. In the blink of an eye first shock, then pain, and then resignation crossed her face. Without a word she turned and left his rooms. Severus stared after her for a moment, hardly able to believe how stupid he'd been. He should have explained better, he should have kept his tone lighter... He followed her into the hall and stopped her.

"Hermione," he turned her to him.

"I need a minute, Sev. Just give me a minute, ok?" Her voice was tight and there were unshed tears in her eyes.

"Hermione," he breathed her name and pulled her close, castigating himself for causing her pain. "I did not mean that the way it came out. I apologize. I just meant that we can never make that kind of commitment to each other."

"Why the bloody hell not?" There was now an edge of anger in her voice.

"Hermione, I've told you before. I am old enough to be your father. Yes we are happy together now, but I'm not going to tie you to my side for the rest of my life. I will be-" he stopped when she flicked her hand impatiently and he felt a tug at the magic covering him. She huffed out an impatient sigh.

"I want to see your eyes, Severus," she demanded. He didn't do anything at first. Then he felt another tug, this one even stronger. If he didn't do it himself she would eventually find a way to remove it herself. With a sigh he removed his mask and looked at her.

"Hermione, just listen to me." He took her shoulders and met her gaze. "I will be old in another few decades. You will still be in the prime of your life. I'm not going to keep you tethered to me! It is not fair to you."

"Why don't you let me decide what's fair to me, Severus."

"No. I'm not bending on this, Hermione. Marrying me would be a prison sentence for you. I won't do it."

"Is your age the only reason? Or is it something else?" She still sounded hurt, and unsure. Severus ran his hand through his hair impatiently.

"Of course that's the only reason. I love you, Hermione. You are my everything. If you were a little older, or I was a little younger, I'd marry you tomorrow. I'm not stupid. I know that you are too good for me but I'm too selfish to care. But we are simply who we are. Even your timeturner can't change that. And I will not change my mind on this. Please let it go."

Slowly she had nodded and turned to the class room. All that day, students were looking at him strangely. His temper and patience already frayed, he snapped and snarled at anyone who gave him a sidelong glance. He took countless points from all the houses. He even assigned one ridiculous Hufflepuff who couldn't contain his staring a detention with Filtch.

That evening after all classes were done, he'd happened to glance over his shoulder in the hall and caught a glimpse of his reflection in a mirror.

He'd never gone back to his rooms after his argument with Hermione, and had gone the whole day with his mask off. No wonder they were staring. He stared too, shocked. He'd assumed the stares from the other teachers at lunch had been because of Hermione's brusqueness with him. But no. They had been looking at his unaltered face.

After the initial shock wore off, Severus wasn't angry. He even changed the boy's detention to be with Hagrid instead of Filtch. Of course, he didn't revoke the detention itself. The boy should have been able to control his stupid staring, after all.

That had been more than a month ago. Since then, he'd gradually reduced the magic in the door over time so that his mask wore thin. Now it was practically all gone. He'd thought Hermione would be happy because of that. She always said she liked to be able to see their eyes when they talked. Now she could see them all the time. And she'd told him how proud of him she was, how happy it made her. But she'd still been withdrawn.

She would disappear for long periods of time and then come back tired and pinched. Dark circles had started to bloom under her eyes. No matter how many times he asked, Hermione always insisted she was fine.

Finally, Severus couldn't take any more. He was going to sit her down and demand an answer from her. They had the day off, so he would spend as many hours as it took. She came back into the room and just as he started to question her, she stopped him.

"Do you love me, Severus?" Her voice was soft. Caught off guard, he could only look at her suspiciously for a moment.

"You know I do," he said stiffly.

"I need you to tell me, today." She seemed so unsure, so subdued that he couldn't help but pull her close to him. He kissed the top of her head and murmured his words into her ear.

"I love you, Lady Felicis. I always will." He pulled her back to tip her face up to his and looked deep into her eyes. "You are my life, Hermione." As he looked at her, her confidence returned. She smiled up at him and kissed him hard. Her hands tangled into his hair, pulling roughly.

He was a little surprised. It wasn't the first time she'd pulled his hair before- he'd pulled hers more times than he could count- but usually they were already in bed or getting ready to go there when they played roughly. He mentally shrugged. Maybe she needed affirmation. And he would provide...

He turned them both and took a step towards the bed when she broke away.

"I love you too, Severus." She touched his lips softly and then dropped her hand to rest over his heart. She stayed there, feeling his heartbeat for one moment. Then she turned. Before he could take a single step, she was out the door. When he finally got his legs to work, she was already out of sight.

He didn't see her for most of the day. He'd thought with that poignant moment she would put her withdrawal and distance behind her. Apparently I was wrong, he mumbled to himself. He busied himself with grading papers. When he looked up again it was nearly evening. He stretched and stood. Then he paused. He stretched again. He looked down at his body as if it were no longer his own.

Usually after an entire day behind a desk, his limbs protested a sudden stretch. His brow furrowed and he shook his arms experimentally. Nothing. He felt fine. He was shaking out first one leg, then the other when Hermione came into the room. He froze. She cocked a brow at him but said nothing, her lips pursed. To hide her smile, no doubt. Severus Snape did not often screw up his face in intense concentration and then do a little jig. In fact, Severus Snape never did that. She must think he'd finally gone round the bend.

"Hermione," he said seriously, hoping she would just pretend this little incident had never happened. "You've been gone a long time." She only nodded.

"How do you feel?" Her question caught him off guard and he was instantly suspicious.

"Fine," he said carefully.

"Just fine?"

"Better than fine, in fact. What's going on, Hermione?" While he watched, she withdrew a small, glowing vial on a chain. She took a step closer to him and put the chain over his head. The vial rested over his heart. He looked at her, and then down at the vial. She didn't speak, didn't explain. He lifted the vial up and looked inside it. Floating on a cloud of gold inside the tiny bottle was a curling brown hair.

A thought occurred to him, then. A terrible thought. A wonderful thought, but a terrible thought. She wouldn't... Or would she? His hand shot out to her neck, finding the chain there and following it down. He drew out a matching vial from under her shirt. He looked at it and his worst fears were confirmed. Floating on an identical cloud of gold was a straight black hair.

"Hermione," he breathed her name, voice laced with pain, praying it was a mistake. "Hermione, please. Please tell me you didn't." He looked up into her eyes. She bit her lip.

"Its a binding spell," she said softly.

"I know what it is," he snarled. "Tell me you didn't do something so foolish, so stupid-"

"I did. Our life forces are bound together now." She gave him a small smile.

"How could you?! This will shorten your life!"

"And lengthen yours," she added.

"You can't sacrifice years of your life for mine!" He was yelling at her now, unable to contain his fury, his concern for her, his outrage at what she'd done to herself.

"I lost some, and you gained some. We met in the middle."

"Hermione, why?" His voice was desperate, lost. She smiled up at him again, a heartbreaking smile. Her hand reached out and she touched his face softly.

"You told me earlier I was your life, Severus. You are mine, too. I don't want live without you. And I won't live the years I have with you only half together. I want to be yours, totally. I don't want you to hold back because of some asinine desire to look out for me or push me away in a few years because you think you know what's best for me. Because no matter what, you are what's best for me. Don't make me live without you." Those last words were a plea, her voice soft and small.

Severus' arms went around her, holding her tightly. He didn't know what else to say to her. It was done. There was no going back.

"You won't have to," he finally murmured. She looked up at him warily.

"You don't regret having your life bound to mine?"

"I regret that my loving you has done this. That your life will be even one moment shorter than it has to be. But I could never regret having my life bound to yours. You are...everything to me."

Hermione laughed, relief and happiness washing over her face.

"You still love me?" she asked.

"Of course. And now you'll have no choice except to marry me." His hands tightened on her when she arched a brow impetuously.

"I don't?" She tipped her head to the side, considering. Severus' eyes narrowed.

"No, you don't," he growled. "You are mine, Lady Felicis, now and forever."

"Well then," a wide smile broke over her face. "I guess if you'll ask me nicely we can make it official." Severus took the hint. He cupped her face in his hands, kissed her nose, and then sank to one knee in front of her.

"Hermione, would you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?" He looked up at her, feeling stupidly unsure. She had just insisted he ask her- so why was his heart pounding as he waited for her response? That brilliant smile shone down at him and she laughed.

"Of course," she whispered. Severus rose quickly and lifted her up into his arms. He spun her around and they laughed together, laughter of joy and love.

He was still the man he'd always been, the man who'd lost everything. But now he'd been given everything he could have ever hoped for and more. And he was never letting it go.