Again, thank you for being such lovely readers! I'm thrilled every time I see a new email from fanfiction. I actually checked my mail while at the supermarket, and the new review I'd just gotten resulted in me grinning euphorically at a confused man passing me by. He actually hesitated for a moment, probably trying to figure out if he knew me, if I was hitting on him, or if I was just slightly mental. It was a rather interesting experience. For him as well, I suspect.

Anyway, on with the story! Chapter 21, go!

Chapter 22, and possibly 23 will be posted later today at some point.

I own nothing you recognise!

-o-

Graduation day was bittersweet. This was his last day as a professor, and he had no idea how to feel about it.

In a way, he was thrilled. He was genuinely happy that he wouldn't be teaching any longer.

But he was also afraid. Hogwarts had been his home since..forever. It had, in a way, been his home since he was eleven years old. And tomorrow, Severus would leave Hogwarts. He would leave his home.

He would be moving, to a beautiful house, with a beautiful witch, a cat, a fridge, and a white picket fence.

And Severus was afraid.

He was standing in the back, watching the students as they got their diplomas, and he was afraid.

He had lived the first forty years of his life in a state of almost constant misery. And he had been content. He had been content, because he didn't know any better.

He'd had a brief period of his life where he was happy, at least moments where he was happy, but the happiness was short-lived, because he had mucked it up, of course.

He had driven Lily away, with only one word.

Severus had never uttered the word Mudblood again.

And then, he had spent his whole life making up for his mistakes.

Forty years. Forty years of misery, and then, in just one year, everything had changed. Happiness was handed him on a silver platter.

He had days where he wished he could go back, go back to his state of misery, go back to the time before Hermione, before the curse, go back to the time when he had not yet learned what happiness was.

It's better to have loved and lost, he thought. Than to never have loved at all.

Severus was not quite sure if he agreed with that statement. If he lost Hermione.. He couldn't even think about it.

And so, Severus was afraid.

-o-

Late that evening, Hermione was buzzing around his quarters, humming, packing, tidying, petting the cat, and he just watched her.

He was still afraid.

This would be their last night at Hogwarts, his last night at Hogwarts, and tomorrow he would move to a house with a white picket fence.

Such happiness couldn't last, could it? Even if Hermione seemed ever so genuine, things would change. He would muck everything up, like he did with everything.

"I'm not, you know."

He was startled out of his gloomy thoughts by Hermione's voice. "What?"

"I'm not going anywhere."

For now, he thought. For now.

-o-

They arrived at their house, their house, the next day, at noon. Hermione had cried her way through the goodbyes, Minerva had cried, Minerva had hugged him, and he had been perplexed to see some of the other professors get slightly teary-eyed as they left.

He entered the house with hesitation, overwhelmed by the surrealistic idea that this was where he would be living now. This was his home. Severus didn't quite know how to have a home.

He was so overwhelmed that he didn't quite know what to do. He couldn't quite breathe. He needed to get away, even if only for a moment.

"I forgot to pick up the curtains!" Severus stared at Hermione, but she just kept looking in the boxes while continuing. "I need to go pick up the curtains."

She stood up and looked at him, and he was very much aware of how uncomfortable he looked, but it seemed Hermione didn't notice. You know very well she noticed, he thought. The curtains could wait until later, after all.

"Do you want to stay here while I go? Or you can go, if you want."

"I'll stay."

She smiled at him. "Alright. I'll be back in a little while." She walked over to him, hugged him tight, smiled at him, and cupped his cheek. "I love you, Severus."

She was out of the house before he could react.

-o-

Hermione did return a little while later, and by then, Severus had managed to calm down somewhat. He had walked around in the house, looking at everything, looking in the boxes, trying to convince himself that this was, in fact, his home. His life.

He hadn't quite succeeded, but he felt better than he had before Hermione left.

She strolled in the door, kissed him, humming happily as she went back to the boxes.

This time, Severus helped her.

-o-

The process of moving in was a rather lengthy one, and it didn't take him long before he was rather annoyed, something that caused him to snap at Hermione. Usually she ignored him, or responded with a snap back, but sometimes they ended up arguing.

The first couple of arguments had made him terrified. He was very well aware that it was his fault, and he was sure he had gone and mucked everything up again.

But when the argument was over, Hermione was back to her old, humming self, and Severus had been baffled.

They had argued before, of course, but for some reason, everything felt different. Hogwarts had felt so secure, and he had been comfortable there. But he had left that security, and Hermione was his life line in this new home.

After a few days, he finally began to relax. Hermione did not back down from the arguments, she didn't sugar-coat anything, she told him exactly how angry she was, how much of an arse he was, and that he could take his sarcasm and shove it where the sun doesn't shine.

But then, a little while later, she was humming again, seemingly completely at ease.

He had even walked out on her in one of the arguments. He had left the house and angrily walked around for a while until fear gripped him, and he almost convinced himself that she would be gone when he returned to the house. He had fearfully entered the front door, and had almost sagged in relief when he found her in the living room.

She had turned to him as he entered, and fear had gripped him again when she folded her arms over her chest and given him a rather strict look.

But then, she had just raised an eyebrow, and simply asked him if he had 'gotten it out of his system'. He had confirmed that he had, and she had shrugged, smiled, and asked if he wanted a cup of tea.

And that had been it.