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Hermione sat at the table and had a small lunch, and Severus sat beside her with a cup of coffee. When she finished, Hermione grabbed his hand under the table, and he gave her a small squeeze in return. No one seemed any wiser to the action, and the two remained there, speaking to the rest of the table while gently drawing patterns on the other's skin with their thumbs.

Hermione did know that Ron kept glancing at her, causing her to shift uncomfortably and turn her eyes away from him. Finally, Ron spoke up.

"Hermione, can you take a walk with me?" Ron asked as the sun began setting in the distance.

"Oh, well, I'm a little tired," Hermione said in a panic.

"Please? Only for a few minutes,"

Hermione reluctantly released Severus' hand and left the cottage with Ron. The two walked along the beach in silence.

"What's going on, Hermione?" Ron asked.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"There's something not right about you, ever since we decided to not go back to Hogwarts, even before then, but it's only gotten worse since then,"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. You seem…depressed and…out of it. Until today,"

"Well, what's different about today?" Hermione snapped at him.

"Snape,"

Hermione stopped and looked at him.

"What about him?"

"Ever since he just happened to show up at Malfoy's when we were about to die, he's been glued to you. I don't like it, and I don't like the way you get so close to him. It makes me uncomfortable,"

"Ron, the man saved my life,"

"I don't see how that plays any role in this,"

"You try being tortured on a floor for an hour and see how grateful you are when someone saves you," she snapped.

"I don't see why he has to stick so close to you,"

Hermione yanked up her sleeve and let his eyes fall on her wound that had yet to be tended to.

"This is why. He's trying to help me Ron, so calm down,"

Hermione pulled her sleeve down and stormed back to the cottage. Fleur showed her to her room, and Severus entered a few moments later to sit in a chair beside her bed.

"I thought I could heal that for you," he said gesturing to her arm.

She revealed the injury, making sure to avoid looking at it. Severus began his work, and Hermione stared at the ceiling.

"What did Weasley want?" he asked casually.

Hermione looked at him for a moment before looking back to the ceiling.

"He doesn't like how close you get to me, or how you're always with me. He doesn't like how close I get to you, for that matter,"

Severus scoffed while bent over her arm.

"It's not funny! We're on the verge of getting caught here, and everything could be blown to hell,"

"Weasley won't open his mouth if he does find out,"

"No, but I still need to be on good terms with him until this war is over. How do you think him and I will work together if he knows we're married?"

"I don't see why that would affect the way you work together,"

"He's completely in love with me! That's how!"

"And how do you feel about him?"

Hermione glared at Severus, and saw that he was completely serious.

"I'm not even going to answer that question," she snapped, flinging her right arm across her eyes.

"You should probably sit him down and set him right,"

"I will, but not now,"

"I think that should do it," Severus said quietly.

Hermione turned her eyes to her arm and saw that her arm was nicely healed, but the letters could still be seen on her skin.

"I'm afraid the scarring will most likely remain. Dark magic cannot be fully reversed,"

Hermione pulled her sleeve back down and closed her eyes.

"How have things been at the school?" she asked.

"Fine,"

After a moment, Hermione opened her eyes to look at him.

"Fine? That's all?"

Severus looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"What else do you want to know?"

"How have the Carrows been?"

Severus rolled his eyes before leaning back in his chair.

"Out of everything to ask about, that's what you choose,"

"We tried listening to the radio while we were moving around, but we never heard anything,"

"They've been worse than ever, naturally. The more I put them in their place, the worse the punishment usually is,"

Hermione studied his face, seeing the dark shadow of guilt cover his features. Suddenly his eyes snapped to hers, as he became serious.

"I heard that you paid a visit to someone with questionable sanity,"

Hermione stared at him, trying to decipher his mood.

"I'm also aware that the house was then attacked and obliterated," he added while brushing lint from his robes.

"We had to go!" she immediately protested.

"To Lovegood? Nearly the entire wizarding world is out there watching for the three of you, and you go to Lovegood?"

"He had some information that we needed," she said turning her eyes away from his face.

"I'm sure there are other people who have the same information he does,"

"Well, he was the only option,"

"An option that nearly got you killed,"

"We got away,"

"Yes, away from the loon and straight into Snatchers," he snapped sarcastically.

"Well we're all still alive," Hermione snapped, warning him to back off.

"It's a good thing you can manage to think quicker than your two sidekicks. No doubt Potter and Weasley would have been dead and Greyback…"

"I don't want to talk about this anymore," Hermione muttered, turning on her side, giving him her back.

"Can you please try to control yourself when you're running around with Potter? Things are coming to a head out there, and the Dark Lord is anxious to have the three of you caught,"

"I'm not reckless; I'm just doing what needs to be done,"

"You are going to get yourself killed," Severus muttered in a serious tone.

"Well if I have to die in order to get Harry further in beating him, then I'm prepared to do that,"

Instantly Hermione was yanked onto her back and found Severus glaring fiercely at her.

"You absolutely will not do that," he said in his teacher voice.

"What's my life compared to killing that monster? I'll do whatever it takes to win this,"

Severus pulled away from her as if he had been burned and instantly moved to the window.

"I refuse to live in fear for the rest of my life," Hermione added, but saw his body tense at the sentence.

"I've lived in constantly fear for nearly twenty years, and you don't see me going around doing idiotic things,"

"You said yourself you didn't expect to live to see the end of the war!" Hermione snapped.

"That's because of the position I'm in! I'm a double spy; of course he's going to find out near the end, he has to! It's not because I'm being reckless!"

"Well I'm doing things because of the position I'm in! I didn't just wake up that morning and thing to myself, "Oh, it would be a great idea to go see Mr. Lovegood for a nice chat,"! I went because I had to, we had to! We've been moving for months because we have to, not because we want to! You left me in that graveyard because you had to, not because you wanted to," she added softly.

"You get yourself caught too often and that is how you are reckless. You give no thought of the repercussions of your actions. You broke into the Ministry because you apparently had to, yet you were almost killed in the process. You went to Lovegood's because you apparently had to, and you were almost crushed by that damn house. That is how we are different. I don't get caught. You do. I know the repercussions of my actions. If the Dark Lord knew about the sword, either that I had given it to Potter or that I had put a fake one in Bellatrix's vault, I would have been killed,"

"I'm sorry I'm not as stealthy as you are," Hermione snapped.

"Would you-" Severus began angrily until Bill entered the room.

"Severus, Fleur wants to know if she should set up a room for you," Bill asked.

Hermione turned her eyes away from his angry glare and once again showed him her back.

"No, I'll be leaving immediately," Severus snapped.

"Thank you for everything you've done for us," Bill said, apparently shaking his hand.

Hermione heard his robes whoosh out of the room as Bill closed the door softly behind him. The adrenaline was rushing through her veins still, and she wanted nothing more than to curse that man. Ron entered the room a few moments later and took up the chair Severus had occupied previously.

"How are you doing?" he asked.

"Fine," Hermione answered, not even turning over to look at him.

"I heard Snape yelling,"

Hermione felt her heart began to beat faster.

"What did you hear?" she asked.

"Nothing much, Bill was too busy trying to fix me up. That's why he came in. I'm guessing Snape was pretty angry?"

"He's just too stubborn for his own good," Hermione said with a sigh.

"He didn't say anything when he left, just slammed the door behind him,"

Hermione felt herself smirk at that. Of course he did.

"Hermione…I think Snape…fancies you,"

"Don't be ridiculous, Ron," Hermione said, even though her mind was whirling.

"Seriously. I've been watching how he's been looking at you, and it's kind of creepy,"

"Ronald, I'm tired. I'm sorry, but I have a lot on my mind, I can't deal with your farfetched theories,"

There was a moment of silence, and Hermione sighed deeply.

"Do you want me to spend the night with you?" he asked.

"No, Ronald, I'd like to be alone,"

"I'll be down the hall,"

When the door closed behind him, Hermione buried her face in the pillow. She didn't have the strength to deal with all of this anymore. She just wanted to deal with the war, not her own personal problems. The only think she would handle was making sure Ron was none the wiser with her relationship with Severus.