A\N: Let this chapter be proof that I do not, in fact, hate Ron; I simply hate him with Hermione. Thanks for your continued support through reviews, follows, and faves. I do read all your reviews and appreciate each and every one.

This chapter is a longer one, but I didn't want to split it up. I hope you enjoy it regardless of the length.

Chapter 34: New Year's Eve

The time between Christmas and New Year's Eve passed in much the same way as between Hermione's arrival and Christmas: Severus and Hermione spent their days reading, brewing potions, going on walks, and making love.

Severus had also watched Hermione brew several potions in preparation for her NEWT exams, giving her tips on how to improve her elixirs. She found him a much more patient teacher now than she had at school, his scathing remarks at her less-than-skilled lungworm chopping abilities not as harsh as they once might have been.

By the time they left for The Burrow on News Year's Eve, Hermione was feeling quite confident about her NEWT Potions practical exam in June (though she was sure her panic would return as soon as she got back to Hogwarts).

They Apparated to the lane in front of the oddly shaped house after dinner for the Weasley's party. It was dark and the windows glowed a welcoming orange into the garden, which was draped in multicoloured fairy lights.

Hermione found herself feeling nervous as they walked towards the front door. It was, after all, the first time she would meet with all her friends with Severus as her partner. Many of them would know she'd spent the last ten days with Severus at his house, and could therefore rightly assume that they'd been sleeping together. Harry, Ron, and Ginny she could handle; she wasn't entirely sure what to expect from the others.

"Hello, Hermione, dear, please, come in!" shouted Molly above the crowd as they reached the door. "Hello, Severus, so good to see you again. Please make yourselves at home, I've got to see to the starters in the oven."

The small room was crowded full to bursting. In the sitting room Hermione recognized George, Angelina Johnson, Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, Lee Jordan, Harry, Ginny, Ron, Neville, Luna, Dean Thomas, and Seamus Finnigan, plus one young woman Hermione didn't recognize. Elphias Doge, Mr. Weasley, Dedalus Diggle, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Percy Weasley, and Hestia Jones were at the kitchen table, laughing and drinking something out of bronze-coloured goblets. Bill and Charlie were chatting by the stairs. Meanwhile, Molly and Fleur were bustling between everyone, handing out drinks and snacks to the crowd.

"Wow, it's packed!" said Hermione, taking off her cloak.

"I'll put our cloaks away and grab some drinks," said Severus, taking her cloak from her arm. "Wine?"

"Yes, please," said Hermione, and Severus shuffled away.

She made her way to Harry, Ron, and Ginny, who greeted her warmly and asked how her holidays with Severus were going (as she tried very hard not to blush), and thanked her for her Christmas presents.

"Hermione," said Ron, pulling a a short girl with a round face and straight, brown hair closer to him. "This is Elizabeth, my girlfriend."

"Nice to meet you," said Hermione, sticking out her hand. Elizabeth took it, smiling nervously.

"Nice to meet you too. I've heard a lot about you," Elizabeth replied with what Hermione thought was an American accent.

"Good things, I hope," said Hermione, as Severus came up beside her, handing her a glass of white wine. She introduced them: "This is Severus, my boyfriend," and as she said 'boyfriend,' she thought it sounded awfully childish compared to what she felt for him. She'd have to use a different word next time she introduced him to someone. She wasn't quite confident enough to introduce him as her lover, but she thought 'partner' might do.

Elizabeth greeted her stern partner and shook his hand.

"So you're from America?" asked Hermione.

"Canada, actually. My father—he's a Muggle—got a job in London. I didn't have a job after graduating from the Academy, so I thought, what the heck, and moved here with my family in September," said Elizabeth shyly. "I was lucky enough to get a job at the Ministry here."

"You went to the Royal Canadian Wizarding Academy? I read they have an excellent charms department," said Hermione, remembering reading about the school in The Global Wizard: a Guide to Wizarding Education Worldwide.

"Oh yes, I did all seven years there. I know Professor Adelman is quite famous for his Translation Charm and several others. He was a really excellent teacher," said Elizabeth.

Hermione had read about the charm in relation to the school: it was applied over the whole campus, making it easier for children to speak to each other, since there was a mixture of English, French and other first languages spoken by the students.

"Can you perform the Translation Charm?" asked Hermione, thinking it sounded awfully useful for travelling.

"Oh yes, all Academy students learn it in sixth year," said Elizabeth. "I must admit, I've had to use it a few times since arriving here because of the accents."

"I can imagine," said Hermione, remembering how difficult it was to understand Viktor Krum at times with his thick Slavic accent even when he was speaking passable English.

"I can show you sometime, if you'd like. Ron told me you're the smartest witch in your school, so I'm sure you'll pick it up quickly. You too, Severus," she said, and Severus nodded slightly as Hermione gushed, "I'd love that!"

"We'll need to find someone who speaks another language though," said the girl.

"Hrm, that might be tough," said Ron with a frown.

"Ronald, Fleur speaks French," said Hermione, rolling her eyes, and she saw Severus smirk beside her.

"Oh, right," said Ron, his ears going slightly pink. Elizabeth giggled at him.

Hermione and Elizabeth talked for ages about their educations, comparing the curriculums of Hogwarts and the Academy, and Hermione found she quite liked the girl. She was shy, but kind and easy to talk to, and clearly intelligent. Ron stood next to Elizabeth looking both proud and smitten as the witch spoke, and Hermione gave him a big grin and a thumbs up when Molly passed by to refill their drinks.

Severus was questioning Elizabeth on the Potions curriculum at the Academy when Seamus Finnigan interrupted them. "Hey, Hermione! How's Hogwarts?" said Seamus, pushing through the crowd until he was standing in front of her.

"Hi, Seamus. It's great. Really normal, actually," said Hermione, glad to see Seamus looked healthy and happy.

"Must be a relief, having McGonagall as headmistress now instead of that bastard—oh! P-Professor Snape!" he said, apparently just noticing Severus standing beside her. "You look different," he added, as though to explain himself.

Severus was wearing Hermione's Christmas sweater again, along a pair of black slacks, and didn't look quite as greasy as he always did at Hogwarts since he'd started using Hermione's shampoo. Hermione supposed he did look a little different than before, though she hadn't really realized it until now.

"I think we're all very glad that bastard is no longer at Hogwarts," said Severus, sneering at the Irish wizard, who flinched and took a step backwards.

"Yeah, heh. Okay, well, hi, how's it going?" Seamus said, looking torn between running away and being polite.

"Wonderful, thank you," answered Severus, and then added, "Nice to meet you Elizabeth, I think I'm going to go speak with the Minister."

"You too, Severus. See you both soon, I hope," replied the girl, as Ron tugged her away towards George and Lee Jordon.

Severus gave Hermione a kiss on the cheek, and then walked over to Kingsley, now officially the Minister of Magic, who was speaking with Mr. Weasley.

"Did he just kiss you?" Seamus asked Hermione, looking shocked.

"Yes, we're together," she answered.

"Seriously? Wow, Hermione, that's… well, that's crazy," he said, then took a sip of his drink. Not really seeming to know what else to say, he turned to join the conversation with Katie Bell and Alicia Spinnet.

Hermione sighed, looking to see if Severus was still speaking with Kingsley (he was), when Angelina Johnson approached her.

"Long time no see, Hermione," said the girl, hugging her. "I read about you and Snape in the Prophet but didn't believe it until now."

"The Prophet was right, for once," said Hermione. "We've been seeing each other since the summer."

"Wow, Hermione. I never would have guessed he was your type," she said, and Hermione found herself wondering what other people thought her type might be. "George and I are seeing each other now too."

"Really? That's wonderful," said Hermione with a smile.

"Angelina! Come here and tell Ron the story about your uncle!" shouted George from across the room.

"Speak of the devil. Later, Hermione," the witch said, walking off to join George, Ron, and Elizabeth in the corner.

Finding herself standing alone once more, Hermione got another glass of wine and then made her way over to where Dean, Neville, and Luna were chatting by the sitting room window.

"I expect the nargles made off with it—Christmastime, you know, and all the mistletoe," Luna was saying as she approached the group. "Oh, hello, Hermione."

"Hi Luna, Neville, Dean," said Hermione, turning to each of them as she said their names. "Thanks for the Christmas presents, Neville, Luna"

"You as well, Hermione," said Neville.

"Did I overhear you say that article in The Prophet was right about you and Professor Snape?" asked Dean, who was sitting to Neville's left.

"That's right," answered Hermione, starting to feel like she was doomed to have the same conversation over and over again.

"Wow, Hermione," said Dean. "Gone to the dark side, huh?"

"What do you mean, 'the dark side'?" asked Hermione huffily, not liking Dean's tone. She wished Luna would start talking about nargles again, but the blonde was staring dreamily out the window, paying no attention to any of them.

"I just always thought you'd end up with someone nice, that's all," said Dean, shrugging his shoulders.

"Severus is perfectly nice," said Hermione crossly.

"Not the way I remember him," said Dean.

"Yes, well, you don't seem very nice yourself at the moment," Hermione huffed and spun on her heels, walking away.

She made her way through the crowd to find Severus, who was now speaking with Dedalus Diggle.

"Ah, Hermione, how nice to see you again," said Dedalus. "Severus tells me you have become friends. Looking to boost your potions marks, I dare say?"

"As I said, Dedalus, Hermione and I—" said Severus, but Dedalus interrupted him.

"And what a joke that was, Severus. Almost as bad as that Prophet article. Dating a former student? Do you think I was born yesterday? You be careful, dear, about what jokes your old professor is telling about you. Another man might have believed him!" Dedalus gave a high-pitched laugh, making his top hat wiggle on his head.

"Jokes… yes," chuckled Hermione uncomfortably, her head starting to spin violently. Perhaps she'd had too much wine. "I'm just going to step outside for a moment, Severus," she said, leaving him seething at the tiny wizard.

She heard someone call her name as she made her way to the door, but ignored it. She stepped out into the garden, the sharp night air instantly making her feel calmer, and the pounding in her head subsided substantially. She sat on a bench between some bushes covered in cheery multicoloured fairy lights, wondering if Severus was hexing Dedalus inside, but finding she didn't much care.

"Mind if I join you?" a voice said from beside her. She looked over to find it was Ron, who sat down next to her without waiting for an answer. "I tried to get your attention inside but I guess you didn't hear me. It's crazy in there, huh?"

"Quite," said Hermione. Or was she crazy for coming here and expecting people to warmly accept her relationship with Severus? She was fine at Hogwarts with people muttering around her after The Daily Prophet article had come out, but it was different here: these people knew her, were supposed to be her friends.

"Elizabeth seems great," she said, remembering the round-faced witch from earlier in the evening.

"Yeah, she is. I'm a lucky bloke," he said, and Hermione could see his ears turning red even in the soft light.

"I'm glad you've found someone that makes you happy."

"Me too. It's strange, we never argue like you and I did," said Ron, and Hermione giggled.

"Well, you can still call on me if you'd like a good row—as friends of course."

"Ginny and Harry said that you and Snape are happy," said Ron, "though I still can't believe you've been stuck in his house for ten days. Did you ever see the daylight?"

"Ron, he's not a vampire," huffed Hermione, "and, yes, we are happy together."

Ron sighed. "It's funny: for so long I always thought we'd end up together," he said.

"Oh, Ron, I know. I'm sorry it didn't work out," said Hermione, but Ron shrugged.

"I'm over it," he said, putting his arm around her and squeezing her shoulder. "You can talk to me about Snape, you know. I won't be a git—or at least I'll try not to be. I may not be your man, but I'll always be your friend, Hermione."

"Thanks, Ron. You're the first person to say something nice; everyone else I've talked to this evening has acted like I'm in love with a Blast-Ended Skrewt," said Hermione glumly.

"Well, there is a bit of a resemblance," Ron grinned.

"Ron!" she laugh, smacking him playfully.

Ron patted her on the back. "Don't worry, Hermione, they'll get over it. It's just a bit unexpected, is all."

"How is it unexpected?" asked Hermione seriously. She supposed she had a been a bit surprised when she first discovered her feelings for the man, but, knowing what he'd done, she didn't expect some of her friends to still dislike him so much. She couldn't help but feel a little insulted by their reactions.

"Well, I mean, he was your professor, and is quite a bit older than you," said Ron.

"There's plenty of married witches and wizards with big age gaps—Remus and Tonks were 13 years apart," she said, suddenly sad to have mentioned the dead couple.

"Yes, but Remus isn't Snape," said Ron carefully.

"What's that supposed to mean?" snapped Hermione defensively.

"Don't get mad, Hermione," said Ron. "I'm just saying that everyone knows him as the mean, greasy dungeon bat."

"But he's not!"

"I know, Hermione, but they don't know that, do they?"

"If they just gave him a chance…"

"They will, Hermione," said Ron. "The same way Harry, Ginny, and I have."

"And Elizabeth," said Hermione. "She was nice to him."

"She doesn't know his past. Anyway, she's pretty open-minded; she reminds me of you a bit, in that way," said Ron. "You should ask her to join spew."

Hermione laughed. "It's S-P-E-W, Ronald, and if you think she'd join, maybe I will," she said, making Ron groan.

"I shouldn't have mentioned it," he muttered, rolling his eyes.

The pair sat in silence for several minutes watching the fairies dance around the bushes, Hermione wondering what had happened to the world for Ronald Weasley to be giving her relationship advice.

"So are you going to marry him and have tons of tiny black-haired mini-dungeon bats?" asked Ron, making Hermione laugh once more.

"One day, I hope—if he asks me," admitted Hermione.

"He'll ask, Hermione. He's not stupid," said Ron.

"And when are you going to pop the question to dear Elizabeth?" said Hermione, raising her eyebrow.

"Oh, no, I've learned my lesson once," chuckled Ron. "Not for a few years, I think."

"I think that's probably wise," said Hermione, grinning as Ron's ears turned a particularly dark shade of red.

"Well, it looks as if your man is looking for you," said Ron, nodding his head towards the house.

Hermione looked and saw Severus with his head out the door, peering into the garden. Spying her on the bench, he walked out to join them.

"Hermione, is everything all right?" asked Severus.

"I'm fine, thanks. Just felt like getting some fresh air," said Hermione, smiling. "Ron's been keeping me company."

Ron stood up and motioned for Severus to take his seat. "I better get inside and save Elizabeth from George before he tries to feed her something," he said. "Don't be too long, we'll be having champagne and the countdown soon."

"Thanks, Ron. We'll come in in a moment," said Hermione.

Ron turned to face Severus before leaving, and said, "I'm sorry about the summer. Just don't hurt her—if you do, I can't promise I won't hurt you back."

"If I hurt her—which I do not intend on doing—I promise I will present myself to you for an ample cursing," said Severus seriously.

Ron smiled nervously, nodded, and then walked back towards the house. Severus stared at the redhead's back until the door shut behind him.

"I have good friends," said Hermione as Severus sat down beside her.

"Are you sure you're all right? I hope you aren't upset by what Dedalus said—if it was different company I would have cursed him—but I think I straightened him out."

"It's fine, Severus, but thank you," she said, leaning her head on his shoulder. Severus put his arm around her and they sat in silence, staring up at the night sky.

Hermione was reminded of the last time she sat on this bench, staring at the glittering stars; she'd escaped a crowd to think then too, and just like tonight Ron had interrupted her. This night, however, was different: she felt more certain, more secure, and Severus was so much more than a hope and bottles of memories to her now.

She curled her arms around his waist and gave him a squeeze, smiling up at him with eyes that sparkled like the stars above them. Severus kissed her forehead, his face serious, and Hermione raised her eyebrows at him in question.

"I know it's hard being my partner—I wish I could be someone you did not have to defend being with," he said quietly, "but please know I love you, and will do everything in my power to make you happy."

"Oh Severus, being with you is easy," said Hermione, "and you do make me happy."

"But your friends—I do not wish to be a barrier between you," said Severus.

"You aren't," said Hermione. "Ron actually explained a lot to me—I know, Ron understood something before me, the world must be ending. Anyway, I can see why it might be hard for some people, but it's nothing to worry about. My true friends accept you and want us to be happy." It was true: Harry, Ron, and Ginny had all told her as much, Molly and Professor McGonagall supported them despite their initial discomfort, and she was pretty sure even Neville and Luna were fine with their relationship.

"Hermione! The countdown's about to start!" came a loud shout from the house.

"I love you, Severus," said Hermione, kissing him softly. His lips opened against hers, pressing firmly into her own. She broke the kiss, and Severus mumbled, "I love you," at the same time as Ginny screeched at them for a second time from the house, threatening to Bat Bogey Hex them if they didn't come inside.

"Let's go," said Hermione, rising from the bench and tugging on Severus's hand.

Taking his hand in hers, they jogged to the open door, where Fleur passed them both glasses of champagne.

"For zee toast," she said, going to Bill's side.

"I thought you were going to miss it," said Ginny, Harry coming up beside her.

Mr. Weasley tapped on his glass with his wand, standing on a chair so everyone could see him.

"Attention please, everyone!" He shouted. "I wish to thank you all for coming to our little party. It is so good to have you all here, our family and friends, in these newly happy times. Now, I believe the countdown is about to start—ah yes," he conjured a sparkling clock above him, in the centre of the room, which began slowly counting down from 20.

As the clock hit ten, everyone began to count down loudly.

"Ten!

"Nine!

"Eight!" Hermione felt Severus squeeze her hand and she turned to face him.

"Seven!

"Six!

"Five!" Hermione rested her hand on Severus's chest, looking in his eyes as they continued to count.

"Four!

"Three!

"Two!

"One! Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year, pumpkin," said Severus quietly, leaning down to kiss her. Hermione kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck, making sure not to spill her champagne over his head. She could hear whistles and horns and shouts of 'Happy New Year' in her ears, but her attention remained on her love and the feeling of his lips against her own.

"Dude, let her breathe," came Harry's voice with a laugh, and Hermione smiled against Severus's lips.

"Shouldn't you be busy kissing Miss Weasley, or has she finally come to her senses?" Severus sneered at her friend, but Hermione could tell he was only joking, a light dancing in his eyes.

"No, he's stuck with me," quipped Ginny, kissing Harry on the cheek and making him blush.

"Count your blessings, Potter," said Severus, his lips twitching into a narrow smile. "Happy New Year."

"H-Happy New Year, sir!" said Harry brightly.

"Happy New Year!" shouted Ron and Elizabeth in unison as they came up beside them, tapping their champagne against the other's glasses, which caused them to shoot pink and gold sparks into the air.

"Happy New Year!" said Hermione, as Neville and Luna approached them too, and she grinned and hugged all her friends in turn before returning to Severus's side.

They laughed and chatted and drank well into the early hours of the morning. Harry and Ginny had long since snuck upstairs together when Hermione and Severus finally Apparated back to Spinner's End sometime before dawn. Hermione wasn't sure she would have been so quick to entice Molly Weasley's wrath when they were both bound to be hungover.

As Hermione collapsed into bed, far too tired to do anything other than take her clothes off, Hermione thought about how lucky she was to be starting the next year together with a man she loved, supportive friends, and no war in sight.

Severus grunted as he rolled under the covers next to her, looking exhausted.

"Any plans for the New Year?" he asked quietly.

"Plenty, but the first is sleep," she said, snuggling next to him and closing her eyes.

"Very wise," said Severus, resting his chin against her forehead.

Feeling his arm come around her, Hermione thought that the year was already off to a pretty good start.