DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE:
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS AND KIND WORDS! They mean so much to me!
How's everyone? I hope you are all safe and healthy. We're still under home quarantine. Let's pray and hope that this virus will end.
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Dedication:
To the boy who used to walk with me from school to the station and defended me from the bullies;
the boy who comforted me at my brother's funeral;
the same boy who stood by my side when I lost my best friend,
thank you.
The boy turned into a man.
A very kind and compassionate man;
A nurse helping COVID19 patients.
Thank you for your friendship.
Since 1999.
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Chapter 12:
July 29, 1975
(twenty years ago)
Hermione happily took Severus's hand as soon as she made it to his side. They walked in Otter St, hand-in-hand. Severus, as usual, was walking on the dangerous side of the street. They didn't rush. They enjoyed the trek and talked about the conversation Severus had last night with Mona's boyfriend, Richard Granger, also a dentistry student.
"He offered to fix my crooked teeth once he gets his license," Severus told her.
Hermione chuckled. "Well, we can just go to Madam Pomfrey and have our teeth fixed. It sometimes bothers me that I have two large front teeth. Black and Pettigrew call me 'beaver' behind my back."
"Their opinion matters to you?" he asked in disbelief.
She stared at him. "No," she replied honestly. "But I want to have nicer teeth."
"Hermione, you know that you're beautiful, right?" His voice was so gentle and it made her heart flutter and her cheeks blush.
"I've been told by a particularly good looking Slytherin." She was fighting her smile and looked away.
At fifteen, Severus grew taller. She barely reached his chin. He was still gangly. His shoulder-length hair was smooth and silky and his face was free of acne because of the anti-acne balm he learned to brew. With his crisp and clean wizard's robes, he became one of the most good-looking Slytherins in Hogwarts, courtesy of Lady Prince - his maternal grandmother. In the Muggle world, he still wore his father's hand-me-downs because he didn't want him to give an inkling that he was having a good life in the wizarding world. Tobias Snape might beat Eileen again, simply for being reminded that she was a witch.
When they reached the playground, Hermione ran to her favourite tree and sat on the grass. Severus followed her and sat beside her, wrapping an arm on her shoulder. After a few moments of awkward silence, he pulled her closer, until she was sitting in his lap. He met her eyes with a tender look in his face and ran a hand to her wild curls. In return, Hermione placed a hand on his chest and her other hand was on his silky, shoulder-length hair.
"You need a haircut," she whispered.
"Your father told me," he replied, his eyes were now on her lips and he cupped her cheek with his other hand.
Hermione bit her lip.
"Wrong move, Puckle," he whispered.
She frowned and opened her mouth slightly to ask something, but she didn't have the chance to ask because he kissed her.
Hermione closed her eyes and tightened her grip in his hair as his tongue entered her mouth, making Hermione squirm.
It was the first time he ever kissed her like that, but she found herself responding with her tongue. She had no idea how long it lasted, but when they broke the kiss, they both panted. Severus rested his forehead against hers and caressed her cheek. His other hand was holding her nape.
"I love you, Hermione," he whispered rather emotionally. "Since 1970."
Hermione's heart swelled with joy. In response to his emotional confession, she gave him an emotional kiss.
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July 27, 1977
(eighteen years ago)
Hermione stepped out of the ice cream parlour and walked briskly to the other side of the street, where a girl with blonde hair and round face was waiting for her. Her smile widened as the blonde girl opened her arms for her.
"Hermione!"
"Alice!" They hugged each other tightly. "How's Spain?" she asked as they pulled away from each other.
"Great! I gained weight, Frank said when I came back," she laughed.
She ran her eyes to her female best friend's figure. "Just a bit, maybe, but you're still beautiful."
Alice rolled her eyes, but with a smile. "I'm not, Hermione and I know it."
"You are. Just believe in yourself," she said confidently. "You're beautiful inside and out. Come on, let's meet Frank and Severus at The Leaky."
The two incoming seventh-year girls happily chattered while walking down the street to the pub where their wizards were waiting. Frank greeted her with a handshake and immediately wrapped an arm around Alice's waist. Severus greeted Alice as well and held Hermione's hand affectionately.
"So, I was telling Severus about this Potions Master I met at my mother's birthday party," Frank told them jovially. "He's willing to accept an apprentice next year and apparently, Lucius Malfoy mentioned you to him."
Hermione cast a nervous glance at Severus but he gave him a reassuring smile and squeezed her hand gently.
"Granger-Dagworth was excited to meet you. He heard about your excellent potion making from Malfoy and Professor Slughorn," added Frank. "What about you, Hermione? Are you really planning on taking healing training after our seventh year?"
She nodded and smiled at Severus before turning back to their friends. "Yes. Sev and I would make a good pair. He'd be St. Mungo's Potions Master and I'll be a healer. You two will be Aurors?"
"Yes. It's final," replied Alice.
"Well, if you two got injured, you know whom to call," she laughed.
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July 27, 1980
(fifteen years ago)
"Thanks for knitting jumpers for Neville, Hermione," Alice said thoughtfully as they sat on the porch with tea.
"You're welcome," she replied, eyeing her friend's swollen belly. "Is that your final decision? You'll call him Neville?"
Alice smiled and nodded. "Neville Franklin Longbottom. You'll be his godmother?"
Hermione's heart swelled with pride. She reached for her female best friend's hand. "Of course. It will be an honour. Are you sure?"
Alice squeezed her hand in return. "Frank and I couldn't think of anyone else better than you."
"Thank you."
"How's Severus?" Alice asked after a while.
"Grumpy," she laughed. "He was named godfather of Lucius Malfoy's son."
Alice looked surprised. "So, he'll have two godsons once you're married."
She gave her friend a bashful smile and fiddled the ring on her finger. "That will not happen sooner, I'm afraid. Our relationship is very, very private, given his role in this war."
"I'm sorry, Hermione," Alice said sincerely.
"I hope this war ends soon," she said with a sigh.
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July 31, 1980
(fifteen years ago)
"Longbottom, sit down!" Severus said harshly at the wizard pacing back and forth in front of him.
Frank stopped pacing and sat beside Severus on the settee. He rested his elbows in his thighs and covered his face with his hands.
Severus could still hear Alice Longbottom's screams of pain. He could also hear Hermione's soothing voice.
"She's hurting!" Franks muttered painfully.
"Of course! She's giving birth to your son, idiot!" he snapped. "Calm down! The healers and Hermione are with her! Soon, she will be looking for you, so you have to compose yourself!"
"She kicked me out of the room! She doesn't want to see me. She hates me!"
Salazar, he sounds like it's the end of the world, he scoffed inwardly.
"You're such a baby," he sneered. "She was mad at you, but once she's done delivering your son, she will be looking for you and you have to appear calm and hold her because she's tired."
Frank sigh and didn't say anything. A few moments later, the screams died down and they heard an infant crying. Frank jumped with joy. "You hear that mate?" he asked him happily.
He gave him the smile he used to reserve for Hermione and the Puckles only, but now, for the two Longbottoms as well. He nodded. "Yes."
"That's my son!" Frank yelled happily and was still jumping on the floor.
"In the name of Salazar Slytherin, stop jumping!" he said with annoyance. "You're going to break the floor!"
But Frank laughed and leaned back on the settee with a relieved expression on his face. "Oh! It's a boy! I am a Dad, Severus!"
He nodded and patted his shoulder. The door to the couple's bedroom opened. Hermione came out, smiling. "Frank, she's asking for you," she announced. The new father quickly crossed the room to join his wife. Hermione looked clean and happy as she joined him on the settee, leaning her head on his shoulder. Severus wrapped an arm around her and kissed her forehead.
"He's so cute," she told him. "He's got chubby cheeks and blonde hair. He looks like Alice."
"But I don't think Frank will mind, as long as his son and wife are healthy," he commented.
Hermione made a sound of agreement. "So tired." Her voice was muffled by his shoulder.
"Are you ready to go home?" he asked affectionately.
"Carry me home?" she asked.
He chuckled, planting a kiss on her forehead before lifting her to his arms and they Apparated to their home in Blackpool.
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July 31, 1995
(present time)
Severus ran a thumb on the wedding photo with a sad smile on his face. Will she remember me and our past? Are we going to continue where we left off?
It had been four days since his last conversation with Hermione. He'd been Summoned by the Dark Lord not long after he, Hermione, and Albus finished watching the memories in the study. He quickly wrote a note for her and placed it beside the potion on the desk. It was up to Hermione of she wanted her memories back.
The Dark Lord required healing potions for his brothers in the inner circle. He spent more than forty-eight hours brewing since he arrived at Malfoy Manor and after that, he went to the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix to report to Albus.
And he finally arrived home. It was night time and the house was silent. He still had no idea if Hermione followed the instructions he scribbled on the note he left her and took the potion or ignored it.
He was anxious to face Hermione. He went to the lounge with a cup of tea and took out the wedding photographs. He continuously stared at it until he finished his tea. Until he heard soft footsteps on the stairs.
Severus quickly Transfigured the photo before putting it in his trousers pocket as the footsteps approached the lounge. The door gently opened. He looked up to see Hermione, no longer in her fifteen-year-old body. She looked older - around nineteen or twenty. Severus's heart leaped with joy seeing her physical appearance. This was not his student. This was his witch. The potion will age her little by little, not instantly, but he didn't mind. Hermione looked incredibly attractive right now in her silk sleep clothes - a short-sleeved pink pajama top and shorts. Her hair was in a messy ponytail, and she was holding her wand in her right hand.
She looked startled when she saw him, but after realizing who he was, she pocketed her wand and crossed her arms below her breasts and gave him a lopsided grin. "Sev."
Severus smiled and let out a sigh of relief and then she had a hopeful look on her face. He opened his arms for her. Hermione crossed the small distance between them and placed herself in his lap, hugging him tightly. "Oh, Sev!" he heard her sob.
Severus tightened his embrace as well and buried his face on the crook of her neck. "My Hermione."
"Yes, Sev. Yours," she replied in a muffled voice.
"Oh, gods. I missed you so much!" He let out another sigh of relief.
Hermione pulled away, just enough to look into his face. "Still young physically, but you know it's me, right? The bossy girl you grew up with?" she asked him with tears in her face.
Severus laughed happily and wiped her tears with his thumbs. "Of course. I know 'my' Hermione."
Hermione gave him an emotional look and inched her face to kiss him. Severus immediately responded to her not-so-chaste kiss. Her kiss was full of emotions - longing, relief, happiness; and he responded in a way that would convey his longing for her. He also felt her grinding her core to his crotch, her breasts pressed against his chest and just like that, he was hard.
Oh, Salazar! he chanted like a prayer in his mind. This witch could be the death of me.
"I love you so much, Sev," she told him in between their hungry kisses.
"I love you more, my Hermione," he responded and kissed her again. He rested his hands to her back - one was on her bum and the other was under her armpit. He adjusted the two of them until her back was on the settee and he was hovering her. Hermione's hands were on his nape and chest; her eyes spoke of love and happiness.
"Then take me to bed, Sev. It's been fifteen years."
He didn't need to be told twice. He carried her, bridal style, and ran upstairs to his room - the room they last shared fifteen years ago. Severus gently laid Hermione to the bed and warded the door wordlessly before showering her face with kisses.
They spent the next few minutes just kissing and expressing their love and longing for one another through words. They were enough for now, Severus decided. As much as he wanted to make love to her, he didn't want to rush Hermione. So, they only talked and kissed. There were tears, but they were happy tears. For a moment, they weren't thinking of the war, or Dumbledore or Harry. They were happy in their little world.
For the first time in fifteen years, Severus wasn't alone in his bed. He had the love of his life beside him. For the first time in fifteen years, he felt complete again.
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A/N II: Sev and Mione's first year, coming up! Be ready for Lily Evans bashing.
