Chapter 37
An hour later, after Hermione had showered and Severus had regained the use of his lungs, they floo'ed to the public fireplace in the Leaky Cauldron where they ordered thick sausage sandwiches and large mugs of coffee to set them up for the busy afternoon ahead. Though neither of them mentioned it, both were keenly aware that it was their first time being seen in wizarding public together, even though they were doing nothing more racy than having a quick brunch in the Leaky.
Stepping into the small rear courtyard once they had finished eating, Severus tapped his wand against the bricks in the required formation to gain entry to Diagon Alley. Hermione would never tire of entering the street of shops this way, reminding her of the very first time she had stood in this walled courtyard with her parents to purchase equipment for her first year at Hogwarts. They had been so very supportive of their witch daughter, despite having no understanding of the world she was about to enter, a world which would eventually take her away from them forever.
They walked down the cobbled street for a few shops, before parting ways as Hermione had a book order to collect from Flourish and Blotts, and Severus was headed to Gringotts to withdraw the many Galleons he would need to purchase brewing premises, should he find one today that was satisfactory.
He had flatly refused to visit either of the shops that were for sale in Diagon Alley, insisting that he was not going to be running any kind of establishment when the general public could come in and gawp, and nor did he wish to live above a shop in the busy street. He planned to visit the Hogsmeade apothecary in the week on his own, as he could walk down from Hogwarts by himself to speak to the proprietor and leave the details of his brewing business for the new owner.
So that left only the hall on the south coast with accommodation above. They couldn't really tell what it actually was from the single picture and vague description, but Severus had contacted the wizarding estate agent by Floo and arranged an appointment to view in about an hour from now. They had plenty of time. Severus had been advised of the co-ordinates of a sheltered apparition point close to the property and they were to head there.
After collecting her precious order from Flourish and Blotts, she headed towards Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes where they had arranged to meet, much to Severus' disgust, after he had finished at Gringotts, which was likely to take much longer than Hermione had in the book shop. Spending a little time with her friend George seemed more preferable than window shopping.
Hermione thought about her friendships as she wandered down Diagon Alley, there really were not very many of them. She had not retained the few friends she had made at her muggle primary school, bidding the place a happy farewell when she entered the wizarding world at eleven. At Hogwarts, she had never been the type to make girly friendships, her relationship with dorm-mates Lavender and Pavarti were coolly cordial, at best.
Her closest friendships were of course with Harry and Ron, and spending her school years trying to keep both them and herself alive did not make for a great base from which to form other meaningful connections. She would be happy to see any of the other Gryffindor boys; Neville, Dean, Seamus anytime, but she doubted she would meet up with any of them alone, more as part of a general group.
She supposed that Ginny was her best female friend, from their time in the DA and from her subsequent relationship with Harry, and she intended to nurture that. She loved Luna, but the two of them were just too different to form any kind of close bond
And yet she found herself curiously satisfied. She rarely mused about her limited friendships, and if she did, it was more with detached logic, as she was doing now. She was more similar to Severus than she'd first thought. He too was solitary, enjoyed his own company, and did not suffer fools gladly. She really was very happy with him, as surprising as it had been to find herself in a romantic relationship with her former Professor.
As she entered Wizard Wheezes, the bell above the door clanged loudly to signal her entry, and her eyes were met with a riot of colour and noise. Being term time, the shop was full of young wizards and witches of pre-Hogwarts age, most accompanied by their bemused looking parents. George was standing on the staircase in the middle of the shop, demonstrating fake wands to a small boy and his father, who roared with laughter as the wand he was handed turned into a rubber chicken.
Hermione caught George's eye and he grinned widely in greeting, calling her over with an effusive waving of his arm. As she approached, he all but pulled her up the last two stairs to envelope her in a huge bear hug.
"Hermione! What brings you here? You're never here, unless forced?"
"Hello to you too, George Weasley. I'm just waiting for a friend, he's in the bank at the moment so I thought I'd come and see you."
"Oohhh, a friend, a he, could this be the elusive wizard that my mother has been attempting to identify?"
Hermione blushed scarlet. Damn.
"I'll take that as a yes then. So does this mean you aren't here to shop? How disappointing."
"I think you have more than enough customers in here without me adding to your coffers. You're doing so well!" she exclaimed, in genuine pleasure.
"We are! I mean, I am ..." his voice trailed off.
"Both of you founded this shop. You will always be a we."
She watched him visibly gulp and compose himself quickly. Poor George. The loss of Fred was of course more acute for him than anyone else.
"Thanks, Hermione. Lollipop? I promise nothing tricky about them, just sweets."
"I'll give that a miss if you don't mind. I still have nightmares about you allowing Neville to eat that Canary Cream in the common room."
"One of our best sellers!"
"I'm sure it is. No offence, George, but I won't be eating or drinking anything in here."
He had the good grace to look disappointed, before his eyes flicked up to the door as the bell rang again, his eyes widening. She followed his gaze to see Severus entering the garishly coloured shop, a look of such supreme distaste on his face that she felt the urge to laugh out loud.
"Bloody hell. Well, that git is the last wizard I expected to see in here."
He raised a hand in greeting to Severus, who had seen Hermione and was approaching them, careful not to touch anything nor find himself in the path of one of the many young children who were excitedly milling around the stacked shelves in an explosion of sugar-filled excitement.
"I doubt he'd be in here by choice. He's meeting me."
George's face contorted in confusion at her statement just as Severus reached them, before his always congenial manners and politeness took over and he extended his hand in greeting.
"Professor Snape ... Sir. This is a surprise to see you in here."
Severus shook the proffered hand.
"Mr Weasley," he replied, his eyes darting around the shop, as if there were too much for his eyes to take in during just one glance.
"I must confess this would not be my first choice of shopping emporium. However, I congratulate you. You and your brother appear to have created a highly successful business here."
George swallowed hard at the mention of Fred.
"I appreciate you mentioning him, Sir. Too many people are scared to."
"I can promise you he will not be forgotten by me. A boy and his twin that I believe are legendary in the disciplinary records of one Argus Filch."
George grinned proudly. It was clear that this was the way he preferred to remember his brother. For a man who professed to hate people, Severus certainly had a knack for sensitivity and knowing when to say the right thing. It was one of the many things about him that she liked ... loved?
"George, could we use your back room to apparate from? We need to side-along, and we'd rather not do that in the middle of Diagon Alley."
"Yes, of course, come on back."
They followed George, twisting and winding his way with practised ease through the throng of pint-sized customers, towards the roped-off area at the back of the shop, where they used to sell security and safety products during the war, but which now held their more expensive and exclusive items, and was roped off and partly curtained so would-be purchasers could only enter accompanied by a shop assistant.
They all entered the room and pulled the curtain across as far as it would go. She wondered if they could get out of the shop before George put two and two together.
"So, hang on here ..." he began, a look of confusion upon his face.
Clearly not.
George was now looking between the two of them, flicking his pointer finger between them like a softly ticking clock.
"So ... are you ... is he ...?"
"For Merlin's sake, Weasley, if you have something to ask, please do spit it out before we all expire from the anticipation." Severus drawled, his face apparently unconcerned.
"Snape. Are you ... have you ...?"
"Oh, George!" Hermione snapped. "Please just ask whatever it is you are thinking. You're making me anxious."
A broad smirk spread slowly across George's face, growing in size and reaching his eyes, which lit up with amusement and mischief, and he seemed to grow an inch taller with bravado.
"Well, well, well, Hermione Granger. He's your man, isn't he? Hogwarts visits, away during the school holidays, oh Merlin my parents are so stupid! Of course you wouldn't be seeing a seventh year. How ridiculous would that be? This makes much more sense!"
"It does?" said Hermione and Severus together, in surprise, quite forgetting to be indignant at being discovered.
"Of course it does! Hermione, you were never going to be satisfied by a boy your age, my little brother being a perfect case in point for that theory, and Professor, from what I know of you, Sir, you need a woman to be your intellectual equal, am I right? And who better than our little library-dweller here?"
"Thank you for that assessment, Mr Weasley."
Severus had found his composure first.
"You're welcome, Sir," George replied, giving his trademark wink, clearly enjoying gaining a foothold on the conversation.
"Things have been a bit rough for you, you know, over the years. About time you got to enjoy an O-grade witch." He made a rude clop-clopping, giddy-up noise with his tongue.
"George!" Hermione exclaimed.
Severus placed a gently restraining hand upon her arm; he could see that Weasley had begun to provoke her ire. He leaned his dark head closer to George's bright orange one and spoke in a low, dangerous voice.
"It just so happens that I have indeed awarded Miss Granger an Outstanding grade. Each and every time."
George face was a hilarious combination of shock and nausea as exactly what Severus was referring to sunk in.
"Well, thank you both for that delightful little mental image. I shall have to scour the insides of my brain to avoid thinking about it for too long. I presume I'm to continue to keep this hushed up for the time being?"
"You presume correctly, Mr Weasley."
Hermione leapt into her friend's arms for a hug.
"Thank you, George. I'll see you soon, ok?"
She released him and took Severus' arm, and he spun them away in a side-along apparition, away from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, away from the riot of colour, away from George, away from Diagon Alley and the bustle of London, and they landed in a small wooded copse with bright sunlight poking its way through the canopy of leaves.
- xxx –
"Can Weasley be trusted to keep his silence?" Severus asked, as soon as they had landed.
"I should have thought so. But even if he doesn't, does it really matter? Everyone will find out about us sooner or later."
He gave her a concerned look.
"Stop hyperventilating, Severus. There is no reason in the world anyone could find to say that we should not be together."
"In a logical sense, I know this. I just the find the whole idea of our private relationship being public knowledge extremely disconcerting."
"I know you do. However many times I tell you that I am proud to be with you."
"I am sorry, Hermione."
"Don't be."
She stepped towards him and slid her hands up his black-coated chest, winding her arms around his neck and pulling his head down so she could press her lips to his. He returned her kiss warmly and eagerly, as he always did, licking along the seam of her lips to part them and push his tongue into his mouth, seeking hers. He snaked his arms round her waist, pulling slightly upwards on the small of her back to stand her on her tip-toes, compensating for the height difference as he furled his tongue around her mouth.
Well, look at you, Severus Snape, snogging in the bushes in broad daylight, she thought with amusement.
"I heard that," he muttered, pulling back far enough from the kiss to be able to speak.
"You were supposed to," she replied. "And come here, I hadn't finished."
He thoroughly enjoyed kissing her deeply, snogging open-mouthed as she ran her hands through his long hair at the nape of his neck, making his skin goose-pimple in delight under her touch.
"Hermione," he said at length, "as pleasant as this is, we have a meeting to attend."
She laughed, and wiped her mouth with her fingers, before lifting her other hand to his mouth to wipe away any damp smears she had left behind. They held hands and walked out of the wooded copse, and through a few trees to reach an empty road which they could see led down to a small village in the distance.
"The estate agent said do not head right towards the village, but instead turn left and continue walking until we reach the barn," he told her, steering them both to the left.
"Oh, it's a barn. I couldn't tell from the picture. I thought it looked like a village hall of some kind."
They walked down the country road for a few hundred yards, only one muggle car passing them in that time. Then came a low stone wall, behind which was the looming exterior of the advertised barn, set apart from other buildings and appearing to back onto extensive crop fields.
Severus unlatched the wooden gate in the wall and they approached the door, which was opened for them before they reached it. The estate agent greeted them hurriedly, ushering them inside. He did not appear to recognise either of them, and if he did, he was doing a grand job of hiding it.
He led them directly into a huge, open-plan space, with a high, flat ceiling and no windows, which was curious, since the outside of the barn had huge windows they had seen on the way in. The agent began to explain.
"This is a fully magical building, housed inside a muggle shell. The view from the windows, should anyone look in, will always be the same; however the perimeter of the property is protected by a long-standing muggle-repelling charm; that magically deters anyone who tries to get too near."
Hermione nodded as he talked, before noticing that Severus was distracted, walking around the open space, touching surfaces with his hands, opening up cupboards and peering onto high shelves.
It was the most curious room. It certainly did not look in any way residential. It had a mixture of steel and wooden benches, not dissimilar to those in the potions classroom. There were many sinks around the room, old ones, not modern. There were cabinets and shelves galore, two huge fireplaces, and a staircase leading up to a mezzanine floor, from which she could see a second smaller staircase going further upwards. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust, and looked old and uncared for, as if it had stood still and uninhabited for a long time.
"What was this place?" Severus asked, not turning around to face the agent.
"Many years ago this workshop was owned by a Zephaniah Flyte. He and his partner used to produce broomsticks."
"Flyte and Barker," Severus murmured.
"What was that?" she asked him.
"Zephaniah Flyte and Anton Barker; manufacturers of some of the finest racing brooms ever seen. When I was at school, a Flyte and Barker broom was as coveted as Firebolt or a Nimbus is today."
"Ah, I see. That explains all the workbenches."
"Indeed. What happened to all their equipment?"
"Not known, Sir," replied the agent. "We believe that Flyte took everything not nailed down when he fled the country shortly prior to the first wizarding war."
Severus nodded thoughtfully and continued to move about the room, heading towards the stairs and indicating for Hermione to come with him.
"We will just be a short while," he said commandingly to the agent, clearly meaning that they would be going upstairs alone, and who surprisingly did as he was told and stayed put.
They walked together to the split-level mezzanine, which was completely empty and was larger than it had looked from the ground floor.
"This would be an ideal place for book storage," he murmured. "Away from the potions but near enough for reference."
They carried on up the second small flight of stairs into the eaves of the building, where a long room the length of the barn opened up before them. Hermione gasped, it was dusty and uncared for, but beautiful. There was a long window low to the floor across one length of the wall, which could not be seen from the outside, guaranteeing privacy.
A small fitted kitchenette was at one end, and an open-plan bathroom at the other, complete with a free-standing roll-top bath. She thought privately that she would conjure a wall around the toilet before daring to use it. (Some things were just not meant to be shared experiences.) There was a small fireplace with a dark grey surround, where she could visualise the two wingback chairs from his chambers fitting in beautifully.
There was one solitary piece of furniture in the room, clearly too big to have been taken by the previous owner, and it was exquisite. A huge dark-wood framed sleigh bed, the most enormous she had ever seen, dominated the room, old and dusty like everything else, but surely would be stunning once it had been cleaned, and dressed in new, fresh linens.
Her eyes darted around as they ate up the potential in the room. She was already thinking about where a small dining table could go, and a wardrobe, and ...
"I do believe you are mentally moving me in here, Hermione." Severus teased in a whisper, planting a light kiss on her cheek.
"Can you blame me? It is perfect."
"You are of course correct. I do not think I will find any better for my requirements. Large workspace, already partly equipped, living space, the decoration of which I shall leave in your capable hands, and most importantly, privacy and seclusion. Shall we go downstairs so I can complete the deal?"
"Just like that?"
"Just like that. This is wizarding estate agency, Hermione, everything is done on the wave of a wand, including filing title deeds with the Ministry. None of the muggle legalities and extensive paperwork that necessitated me confunding the property developer in Cokeworth."
They re-entered the huge workroom, where the estate agent was waiting with a harassed but expectant look upon his face. Clearly he was in a hurry.
Severus confirmed that he would be taking the property, and the agent immediately conjured a parchment which he began to read, handing over four large bags of Galleons that he had withdrawn from Gringotts earlier. Whilst he was reading, the agent magically counted the coins, before banishing the parchments to the Ministry Housing Office once Severus had added his signature. He handed over a muggle key, did a few cursory wand movements and Hermione felt the wards drop, before shaking both their hands and leaving the barn without another word.
"That was it?" Hermione was incredulous.
"It was indeed. I am now the new owner of ..." he looked at the title deed parchment that he had been left, "Lawton Barn, Lawton-atte-Bower."
"Just like that?"
"Yes, Hermione, just like that. Now, before I do anything else, I must secure this place."
She moved back and allowed him space to move. He drew his wand from his sleeve and a serious look spread across his face as he began performing some complicated wand movements and incanting in Latin, as she had heard him do just before leaving Spinners End. She presumed he must be setting a Fidelius Charm upon the barn, and indeed she felt a reassuring sense of protection envelope her as his spell took hold.
"Did you feel that?" he asked her. She nodded, and he looked gratified, his spell had worked.
"You are now a joint secret-keeper of Lawton Barn, along with myself," he told her simply, despite the enormity of the trust he had just placed in her.
He continued to cast, and she felt the familiar feeling of his security wards go up around them. He then approached both fireplaces, blocking the Floo connection, before apparating upstairs to block that fire too. He returned via the stairs, as if he was testing them out.
Walking towards the front door, he used large arm movements to conjure what appeared to be an internal door with porch around it, all hidden inside the main front door that led outside.
"Apparition porch," he explained, shooting a spell at it. "And the spell I just cast upon it will allow, at this present time, only you or I to apparate in or out of it. We cannot be apparating to a copse down the road every time we return home ... as fun as it undoubtedly was in there."
He gave her a smirk that turned her tummy over with desire. How did he do that?
She felt a little dreamy and helpless as she watched him, both unfamiliar feelings for her, as she watched him secure his new home and workspace with such insouciant speed and skill. He really was so utterly capable and protective; and she actually found it quite a turn-on.
"We have much to do here, Hermione. I will need to involve Draco from next week onwards."
"That is fine with me, and I am happy to help you too, you know that."
"You have your own work to do, not least of which is getting those reforms to werewolf control legislation pushed through the Wizengamot."
"True enough. I have a document I need to finish this weekend actually. Should I head home, considering you're on night patrol tonight?"
"If I could persuade you to return with me to Hogwarts, I would make the whole of my private desk in the sitting room available for your use to work. The thought of coming back to empty chambers after Saturday night patrol is not a pleasant one."
"Is that your way of saying, please stay with me tonight, Hermione?" she teased.
"It is."
"Then shall we test your new apparition porch?"
- xxx -
Much later, Severus returned from a cold evening patrolling the echoing corridors of Hogwarts, chasing randy little fuckers back to their dormitories, deducting housepoints and issuing an unprecedented number of detentions (all to be served with Filch, he wasn't stupid) when word finally got around that Professor Snape was on duty, in a foul mood, and was not to be messed with that night.
He finished his patrols, satisfied that all students were at least where they should be, if not all asleep, and returned to his chambers, the thought that Hermione was there waiting for him lifting his tired soul.
He entered the sitting room to see her work papers strewn all over his private desk, which he resolved not to look at, and the fire at a very low burn, just enough to light his way. She had clearly gone to bed. Good. He was knackered, and wanted nothing more than to coil himself around her warm body and sleep.
Walking into the bedroom, the fire was burning low but merrily, sending a warm golden glow across the room. Hermione was asleep in the centre of the bed, with a round naked breast visible above the quilt, curly brown hair splayed across the pillow. He eagerly stripped himself naked too, and prepared to slip into the bed beside her.
He took another look at her before doing so. She looked like an angel, a sprite, a nymph, a sleeping beauty slumbering in his bed. She was beautiful. She was pure.
His heart suddenly began to beat faster, and the familiar feel of panic and anxiety began to spread like liquid nitrogen through his veins.
He had defiled her. He had polluted her goodness with his tainted soul. How dare he?
A vein in his temple began to throb painfully, and Severus began to shake, not realising that his thigh was pressed against the bed, causing a vibration that woke Hermione from her light sleep.
"Severus?"
He could not answer her.
She threw back the covers and stood up, right there in the centre of the mattress, and stepped across towards him, wrapping her arms around his head, her naked breasts level with his face.
"Severus, stop this. I am here. I want to be here. You deserve this."
She repeated the words over and over like a soft mantra to penetrate the wall of terror that currently held him in its icy grip.
When she felt his muscles finally begin to slacken and lose their anxious tension, she guided him into bed, and pulled the covers over them both, wrapping her arms and legs around him as she attempted to warm his chilled body. His breathing returned to normal, and she kissed his face as it began to regain what little colour it possessed.
"Normal, Severus. Just an anxiety attack. It's gone now, it's finished, my darling."
She raked a hand through his hair, gently scraping his scalp which he loved.
"Say that again," he growled.
"My darling. You are my darling. I even think I might love you, Severus."
"I don't think I love you, Hermione."
"You don't?"
"No. I know I do."
"Say that again," she mimicked.
"I love you, my outstanding little witch."
She released her snake grip on him and uncoiled her arms and legs, turning her back to rest against his naked chest as he wrapped his arms around her and pushed his hips in to spoon her bottom, his softened cock pressed against her arse.
She was his, and he was hers.
They slept.