** I don't own these characters or the stories they belong to **


Severus woke before Hermione the next morning. He was curled up on his side with his back against the sofa, and Hermione was sprawled on her back taking up the rest of the space except that which her orange monster of a cat occupied.

He heard a chuckle and looked up to see Arthur Weasley entering the room, sipping a mug of something warm. "They didn't leave you much room, did they?"

Severus grunted, "The cat will have to go."

Harry yawned as he came down toward the kitchen. "Good luck with that. No idea how he does it but there's not a door that can keep that cat from going where he wants to go."

Harry watched as Severus grumbled something in response and tried to extricate himself from the sofa without waking Hermione. Harry turned his back and kept walking toward the kitchen, hiding his laugh at the sight. As much as he'd gotten somewhat used to seeing Severus and Hermione casually together, and had even seen them totally going at it that one time, the sight of them lying down and sleeping together was still still completely odd. And the sight of a pajama clad Snape awkwardly trying unwind himself from the depths of a sofa that was dominated by Hermione and her cat was downright funny. He didn't care how much Severus Snape had mellowed in the last six months, however; he valued his life too much to be caught laughing at the man.

Ginny clomped, undignified and yawning down the stairs and saw Severus adjusting his robe as he disappeared toward the ground floor washroom. Crookshanks stretched and trotted up to lick Hermione's hand. Hermione was sprawled across the sofa in her customary manner.

"Sev?" she called out sleepily.

Ginny laughed. "No, 'Mione, that's not your man, that's your cat. Get up. It's time for breakfast."

Hermione's eyes opened and she looked around somewhat frantically.

"He's still here, just gone to the washroom" Ginny told her, "Come on."

Hermione stretched her full bodied cat-stretch with a squeak, stumbled off the sofa and wrangled herself into her robe. "Ug. I'm gonna go brush my teeth," she said, heading for the stairs. "I'll be back down in just a bit."

A few minutes later they were all situated at the kitchen table, enjoying a wonderful Molly Weasley breakfast, still comfortably clad in their nightwear, robes and slippers. Severus smiled inwardly when he caught himself thinking how beautiful Hermione was, no matter that she was in baggy pajamas and a robe, her hair messily piled into a bun. He was completely unused to sitting to the table in his own pajamas and robe; it was odd but it also had a surprisingly comforting family feel to it. And that feeling of family inclusion was something he had never in his life since Lily had abandoned him ever expected to have. It was one more unexpected thing that Hermione brought to him.

Of course the thing about families is that the good comes part and parcel with the not so good, and this morning was no exception. They were nearly done eating when Ron stomped in and started filling a plate full of food. He startled when he saw Severus sitting at the table, obviously having spent the night, but managed not to say anything about it, or at least not directly about it.

"Blimey, Hermione. You come back and I keep getting kicked out of the house," he said with a grumble.

Severus had been smirking at Ron's surprise. Now he glared at him. Hermione just rolled her eyes and calmed Sev with a touch.

"Ronald Weasley!" Molly started in on her son. "You apologize. Why are you even home this early?"

"Sorry," Ron mumbled in Hermione's general direction and then mumbled something else unintelligible round his mouthful of food in which few words but "Fleur" were discernible. Everyone took this to mean that he had, unsurprisingly, managed to fall afoul of his sister in law and been sent home.

Molly harrumphed and even mild mannered Arthur gave his youngest son a highly disapproving look.

"I'll get the dishes, Mrs. Weasley. Thank you for breakfast," Hermione said.

"Thank you, dear, and you're most welcome...any time," Molly answered, before she departed the kitchen, scowling at Ron whose ears turned a bit red.

"Git," Ginny said to Ron as she began clearing the table.

"Oi, since when am I the git?" Ron squawked.

Hermione narrowed her eyes dangerously at the back of Ron's head from the sink where she and Severus stood, clearly no longer amused as Ron's insults had crossed over towards Severus, however subtly. Conversely, Severus no longer looked furious on Hermione's behalf, he merely wore his derisive snarl. "How exactly, and why, did you suffer his constant presence for seven years?" Severus asked Hermione so quietly that only she and Ginny, who had approached with dishes, heard him.

"Oh, he's got surprisingly good qualities underneath all that..." Hermione said quietly, waving her hand in Ron's general direction. "But it wasn't without its difficulties," she grumbled. "And he didn't escape unscathed...watch this," she said furtively.

"OPPUGNO!" Hermione cried. The eggs which had been on the end of Ron's fork went flying across the kitchen and smacked his father in the face as Ron had held on to his fork when he ducked and threw his arms up protectively over his head.

Severus snorted while Hermione, Ginny and Harry laughed hysterically. Even Arthur chuckled after cleaning himself from the shower of scrambled eggs that had showered him. Ron, belatedly figuring out that there was no army of yellow birdies attacking him, that Hermione couldn't have actually cast the spell, and that it had entirely been a joke at his expense, turned around red-faced and glared at her.

"I warned you," Hermione told Ron, half amused, but with an eerily scary glint in her eye. "You'd better learn to pay attention."

Ron's eyes widened and his angry looked morphed into a mildly frightened one before he turned to snarf his breakfast double time and fled the kitchen.

"I do believe he's thanking his lucky stars that you came to your senses and saved him from being shackled to the scariest witch of his acquaintance," Ginny said throwing a disgusted look towards the door that Ron had just exited.

Hermione smirked as she washed the dishes. She looked up at Sev and lifted an amused eyebrow in question. "What about you?" he read in her gaze. "Are you sorry to be shackled to me?"

The look Severus gave Hermione in return left her in no doubt of his answer. "Sorry? Not at all. I'm thanking my lucky stars that you chose me," she read in his gaze. Her answering smile lit her face and lightened his heart.

After they finished the dishes, Hermione told Severus that she would get dressed and join him at Malfoy Manor after writing to Mel and talking to Harry and Ginny for a bit. He put his hands carefully on each side of her face and kissed her.

"I'll see you soon," she told him. "Will you be okay?" she searched and asked with her eyes, but she didn't say the words and he loved her, both for caring and for not coddling.

"Yes," he answered her question, "soon." She saw "The sooner you come, the better I'll be," in his eyes.

Hermione kissed him and whispered "I love you," in his ear. He hugged her tight and whispered, "And I you...always," in hers before he drew away and walked toward the fireplace. He turned one final time to look at her before he disappeared into the green flames.

Hermione sighed and trudged toward the stairs. Ginny went with her.

"So do you guys actually read each other's minds or what?" Ginny asked her.

"No, not really," Hermione answered. I just see him, read what he's thinking in his eyes, I guess."

"You realize you're reading one of the most inscrutable men in all of England, right? I mean, I can actually tell he has more that two facial expressions now, but still," Ginny said.

"I suppose it came from all those heart to hearts, and maybe the entwined hearts bit. Are Ron and Lavender and Fred and Katie like that too?" Hermione asked.

"Maybe a little, but you know Ron. He pretty much says what's crossing through his brain at the time, and Fred has a better filter, but he's not afraid to say what he's thinking either. They do get those gooey, looking into each other's eyes moments sometimes, it's just that you two actually look like you're carrying on a conversation when you do it.

"I'm gonna go see Ron and Harry for a minute while you get dressed. I'll see you in a few minutes," Hermione told Ginny.

Ginny nodded and Hermione climbed the stairs and knocked on the boy's door. Ron opened it an grumped, "Hey."

"Sorry for ruining your plans to see Lavender last night," Hermione told him as she came into the room. "Is that what has you so grumpy and wishing I hadn't come back?"

Ron sighed. "Yeah, mostly I guess. 'M not sorry you're back...it's just Harry's in Auror training, you're getting on with life, even if it's with Snape, Fred at least has the joke shop going...I'm just stuck...and why do you keep getting me sent off anyway?"

"If you're really ready to marry Lavender and get your magic back and on with life, why are you letting your mother hold you back? And you've been here around all the aftermath. Do you have any idea how overwhelming it's been to come back and face it all after being gone and away from it all for so long!?" Hermione asked him.

"It's been me that's been getting you sent off, mate," Harry admitted.

"What?" Ron gaped. "Why?"

Hermione and Harry exchanged looks. They related to each other in some ways now that were beyond Ron. Hermione tried to explain. "Because we needed it Ron. I know you went through plenty, same as we did, but you have to admit, Harry went through more than both of us, and Bellatrix...what she did to me, and then my parents...and Sev...you have no idea what he was made to do and suffer, and I don't think he can occlude right now. And we were somewhere peaceful, away from all the reminders, and to come back suddenly...It was overwhelming. Harry had been to visit where we were, he knew how jarring it would be. And yesterday...was..Do you ever have them Ron? Those days...those really bad days? I..we..couldn't hold it back...I don't even remember...I think if I'd have had my wand I would have cursed anyone who startled me...because I wasn't here, I was there, we were back there."

Even Ron couldn't miss the terrible, haunted look on Hermione's face as she finished. "Blimey, Hermione. Shh..I'm sorry," he said, enveloping her in a hug.

Hermione took in a big, ragged breath and tried to relax as she sighed out. "I hadn't thought about it, or maybe I just didn't want to face it...but I just realized this morning, in all the wedding planning...I...my father...there's no one to walk me down the isle," she said miserably.

It was Harry that grabbed her into a hug then. "We will, Hermione. Of course, we will."

"Both of you?" she sniffled.

"Yes," they answered. "If you want," Ron said.

"Yes," Hermione gave them a watery but beautiful smile. "Thank you." She laughed and wiped her eyes. "So when are you going to quit letting your Mum hold you back, Ron?"

Ron groaned. "It's Lavender as much as Mum. She goes along with whatever Mum wants."

"Did Ginny not explain things to you? Here's where you get Lavender all hot and bothered, like constantly, till she can't stand it and then hold her at bay and tell her you can't until you're married. And I know your mom's like a niffler on the scent for hormones, but I don't just mean snogging and stuff - it doesn't take that. There are subtle ways to inflict torture."

The look on Ron's face was priceless. Even Harry looked like he could've gone without hearing that. "Is that what you did to Snape!?" Ron asked.

"Oh, it was mutual...Smart girl, Ginny. Don't ever make her desperate, Harry. She's diabolical," Hermione said as she turned to go. "And it's Severus that's doing the holding at bay, just so you know," she told Ron.

Ron looked at her like he'd never seen her before. "Ugh!"

"You'll take him to get robes?" Hermione turned back to ask Harry just before she walked out the door.

Harry nodded. Hermione chuckled at the disturbed looks on their faces when she reached the hallway. Ginny had a good laugh with her about it when she returned to her room to get dressed.

"If you don't work your magic, he's just going to get grumpier, you know," Hermione told her.

"I suppose you're right. It's a whole different thing to give your brother those kind of instructions though. Gross," Ginny said. "I may have to devise alternate strategies."

Hermione laughed. "So what's the strategy for Draco and Astoria? She can't be a crutch you know. She needs to be there for him, but she'll need to keep enough distance to keep him standing on his own and working through things."

"I thought about that," Ginny said. "She still has another year and a half of school left which means, other than holidays, they'll have to keep in touch mostly through owls. Or maybe we can find a way to get them linked journals. That should help get him to talk and open up."

"True." Hermione said. They kept discussing their plans for working with Astoria as Hermione dressed and wrote to Mel. Finally Hermione said. "I'm headed to see Sev at the Malfoy's...And thanks for your help yesterday...that was...I don't think he's quite better yet...I know I'm not. Harry too. I don't know how he does it...things like that all the time."

"It's gotten a little easier each time, but it's still not good, no," Ginny said. "Don't worry. I'm spending the rest of the day with him before I head back...and I'll get the journal before I go. See ya soon."

Hermione smiled and waved at her before she left for Malfoy Manor. When she arrived, she found Severus and Draco sitting in chairs beside the fire. She chatted with them for a bit and asked Draco about his outing with Astoria and Luna. She chuckled when he talked about Luna and asked questions as if he was trying to make out what to think about her. She also smiled when he talked about Astoria; he grudgingly admitted the choice appeared to be a good one so far and was thankful she was nothing like her elder sister. Draco may once have been a snobbish prat himself, but he had grown out of it, forced to really, and now he clearly had no more taste for snobbish prattiness than one should. Hermione was glad to see his appreciation of Astoria's kind and giving nature.

Severus didn't tolerate too much chit chat, however. Hermione talked to Draco out of friendship, because she wanted to, but she had also noted something almost frantic in the depths of Severus' eyes when she arrived and was somewhat desperate to be alone with him to talk to him. As soon as she could politely manage it, she brought up that she had something she needed to talk to Severus about and excused them from Draco's company.

Severus managed to lead them toward his room without apparent hurry, but the moment they were behind closed doors he backed her against the wall and pushed himself against her. He rested his forehead against hers and breathed heavily for a moment, trying to regain some control before he captured her mouth in a masterful teasing kiss and began skimming his hands along her back, neck, sides and behind. Hermione almost asked "What brought this on?" but she knew perfectly well that yesterday was to blame, or rather to thank. She had desperation of her own, after all.