When Severus put Annaliese to bed, he was positively exhausted. His hair hung in a dark curtain around his face, illuminating the beautiful pale colour of his cheeks. He entered his bedroom with a tired sigh, slumping back on the door before casting his eyes towards his bed. His black eyes met with the honey-golden tresses of hair and a petite body underneath the bed covers. The sight made the dark man's heart swell with affection. There she was, Gryffindor Princess, curled up in the King of Slytherin's bed. Her hair fanned across the pillow, her breathing was even and deep, and she clutched the duvet closer to her body as if she was cold.

Severus shook himself mentally. She should not be in his bed. Hermione Granger was far too beautiful, young, brave, intelligent – he could go on for hours – to be in his bed. Approaching her slowly, he decided to wake the woman and send her on her way to her own bedroom, but as soon as he put his hand on her shoulder, honey-gold eyes met onyx eyes and he was lost. Never in her life had Hermione ever seen Snape so flummoxed.

"Can we talk?" Hermione asked sleepily. No matter how tired she was, this talk was going to happen and the Slytherin was not going to stop it.
"What is it you wish to talk about, Granger? Why you are in my bed would be a very good place to begin, if I do say so myself." His velvet voice was filled with indifference and Hermione was beginning to regret the decision of coming into his bedroom.
She chose to ignore the more scathing part of his reply and sat up to answer him properly. "We need to talk about us."
As soon as he heard the emphasised word, he could hardly hold back his gasp. "Why? Do you want there to be an 'us'? He asked, sounding more shocked than he could hide.
Hermione tried to hide any distress she felt by looking down at her fiddling hands, "I am not saying that I would like to jump straight into a relationship, but the thought of not being here with Annaliese and, and you – it's painful." She whispered.

Severus' mind was reeling. How could she possibly feel that way? He was ugly, cruel, mean, and certainly not popular.
He closed his eyes and when he spoke, it didn't sound like him. "When you were packing, I have never felt so unsettled – not even when I was a puppet for two insane masters. It would be an honour to stand by you, although why you would want an ex-Death-Eater is beyond me."
Hermione watched Severus intently, the blanket bunched up around her hips as he came to sit on the edge of his bed. She leant forward and took his hand gently in her own.
"Ex-Death-Eater or not, I do not care." Hermione smiled one last smile and made to stand up. "It is late." She murmured, and the man in front of her smirked and raised an eyebrow.
"Indeed."

This was the awkward part. Do they share the bed, or do they sleep in separate rooms? Does one of them ask to stay in the others' room? It was so complicated already, and Severus did not like it one single bit. He didn't want to seem too forward, or too withdrawn, he just wanted it to be simple.

It turned out, that's what Hermione wanted as well, so when she snuggled back down into his bed, he nearly let out a sigh of relief. Her hair fanned out across his pillow and her petite body curled up into a ball beside him.
"Goodnight." The Gryffindor mumbled as her eyelids fluttered closed and her breathing began to even out.

Severus watched the woman's sleeping form. How was this even possible? What would her friends think? What would Minerva think? On top of all of that, what would his mother think?

Contrary to popular belief, Eileen Snape was very much alive. When Severus' father, Tobias Snape took to beating Severus' mother, she slipped him a strong sleeping potion. While the drunk was asleep, she packed her bags and left for her cottage outside of Hogsmeade, away from Tobias.
Severus could still recall getting the letter in his fourth year from his mother to say that she had left. He was sat at Slytherin table alone eating breakfast when his snow-white barn owl flew in with his letter. He never got letters. Eileen found it difficult to write without Tobias hanging over her shoulder trying to see what she was writing to their son.

Severus,
Do not return to Spinner's End, I have left your father. Do not worry yourself over me, I am perfectly well now that I have my life and wand back. I do hope you are well, my son.
I have owled your head of house, Professor Slughorn, and he will allow you to come home on weekends if you would wish it.
I will be seeing you soon.
Mother.

That was the letter that changed his life. No more abusive father, no more bruising, no more blood or tears would be shed over Tobias Snape and his horrid habits. While Ophelia Prince was quite disgusted that her pure-blood daughter had married a muggle, she still kept in touch with her abused daughter. She was the one who supplied Eileen with the sedation potion.

Looking back at Hermione Granger's slumbering body, Severus slid into bed next to her, careful not to touch her. It was as if she were a porcelain doll. One would only see the light smattering of freckles across her nose if they were close enough to her perfectly smooth face. There was only one solid blemish that Severus could see – not that he was studying her – and it was a silvery scar that went from her left collarbone , across to her right shoulder. A battle scar, he presumed.

He spent what seemed like forever studying her, drinking in every crevice and dip of her face, the perfect angles of her cheek bones, and the way her lips came together in a tiny heart shape. With one last look at her mesmerizing lips, his own eyes fluttered closed and he fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.