Disclaimer: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author.

A log shifted in the fireplace, causing the flames to crackle, sending tiny bits of charred bark and soot into the air briefly before it settled in a fine layer on the tiles in front of it.

Hermione pulled her wand from her sleeve and cast a quick cleaning charm to get rid of it before tucking her wand back into the sleeve of her jumper. She flicked her eyes up to the clock on the wall to check the time, and saw that it was nearly eight at night. She had come down with a nasty head cold overnight, and so she had taken some Pepper-up Potion and then Harry and Severus had both insisted that she stay at Spinner's End for the day to rest. She had been feeling too sick to argue with them, so she wrote a letter to Poppy, and sent it with Harry to apologise for not being there that day.

She had been expecting the two men to return from the school much earlier in the day, although she hadn't waited around for them to eat dinner – she had just eaten some leftover soup that she'd heated on the stove. She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment, hugging her legs close to her body in the armchair she occupied, a throw blanket covering her. She had been getting the chills on and off all that day, alternating with fever.

Despite being an invalid, she still managed to have a fairly productive day. After returning from Sydney a week before, Hermione had been busy organising the sale of her parents' London home. Though they were understanding and thrilled to have their memories back, and to have Hermione back in their lives, they were very content with living in Australia. They had built up quite a lucrative dental practice, had a wonderful network of friends, and were enjoying their new more relaxed lifestyle.

Hermione had stayed with them for a couple of days after Severus had restored their memories, and he had returned to the UK without her. It had been a week since their kisses, and they still hadn't found time to speak to one another about it further which was frustrating her to no end. He had not touched her at all since her return – it was almost as though it had never happened. Perhaps that was what he wanted: to play it off as a mistake and just move on. The thought made a lump form in her throat that was hard to swallow.

Just as she was about to give up waiting and go to bed, she heard the crack of Apparation from downstairs, followed by two different sets of footsteps. The ones she knew were Harry's walked down the hall to the smaller guest bathroom. Severus' footsteps were slightly heavier as he wore dragon-hide leather boots, and those ones grew louder as they walked to where she was in the office. She looked up at the doorway and her eyes lit upon the object of her musings, wearing his usual black with his teaching robes.

'How are you feeling?' Severus asked, walking into the room, shedding his robes.

'Better, thank you,' she replied, shifting on the chair so that her legs and feet were no longer tucked up beside her. 'Pepper-up doesn't normally work that well on me.'

'Extra strength,' he murmured, beginning to unbutton his frock coat.

Since their trip to Sydney, the one thing that she had noticed was that in the privacy of his home, he was dressing a little less formally. He would often roam the house in trousers and his white long-sleeved button-down shirts. She very much like this change – she knew it meant that a certain level of trust had been earned.

'Severus?' she queried, gazing up at him.

'Yes?'

'Do you regret kissing me last week?' she asked after taking a deep breath. If she said nothing, she had a feeling they would go on like two ships passing in the night.

He looked surprised that she had mentioned it. 'I took advantage of you while you were emotional and vulnerable last week,' he said coolly, his expression carefully schooled to neutral. 'It was reprehensible behaviour on my part, so I have been attempting to give you some space.'

'I'm not emotional now,' she said softly.

She saw his Addams apple bob as he swallowed. 'It would appear not,' he replied.

She stood up from her chair, walking over to stand before him. She linked her hands behind her back in an inviting gesture, showing him that she was willing to be vulnerable in front of him. 'You didn't take advantage of me, Severus,' she said quietly. 'Actually, I was rather hoping for an encore, and perhaps that conversation that we said we'd have.'

'You drive a hard bargain Hermione,' he said, leaning in towards her, his lips whispering over hers; her eyes drifting shut. 'But perhaps we had better talk first.'

She opened her eyes and nodded. 'Perhaps you are right.'

They both sat in their respective armchairs, Hermione tucking her feet up beneath her again. Severus stared at the fireplace for a moment before turning to address her.

'There are a number of reasons why pursuing this, for lack of a better word, relationship, would not be a sensible choice for you,' he said matter-of-factly. 'You are young, you have your whole future ahead of you. I am not a very good suitor for you, Hermione. I am nineteen years your senior – old enough to be your father almost.'

'My father is fifty,' she said, with a smile. 'My mother is eight years younger than he is. Age is just a number – I don't think that is a very solid argument against pursuing this.'

'I'm a former Death Eater and spy, and I have had to commit horrible atrocities,' he said simply, skirting past the reminder that he was practically her mother's age. 'Just because I largely did these things for the side of good, it does not erase them.'

'Those are just things you were forced to do,' she argued. 'They don't define you as a person. You are not Severus Snape: Death Eater and Spy. You are just Severus.'

She could see his arguments were beginning to become more flimsy, but he was determined to talk through all of the reasons he and others would have against them.

'I'm not a handsome man,' he stated, turning his eyes back to the fireplace. 'People will always wonder what it is you see in me.'

Hermione sighed, getting up from her chair and walking around the coffee table to stand before him. He looked up at her then, and she gently nudged him with her hand so that he came to sit with his back straight. She tucked the strands of his hair hanging in front of his face behind his ears, before tracing her fingers gently over his features, his brows, his cheeks and jaw, and down his long nose. She cupped his face with both hands and leaned forward, pressing gentle kisses everywhere her hands had touched, before pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. As she pulled away, she heard a small gasp escape him and she smiled.

'I don't want to hear about how unattractive people think you are. Or how unattractive you think you are. I don't care about what people think,' she said quietly, looking directly into his dark eyes. 'I find you very attractive.'

His hand shot out at her statement, grasping her wrist gently and drawing her down towards him, and soon she was on his lap and his lips were on hers; demanding and hot -with lips and teeth and tongue- and she felt like they might catch fire. She had never felt this kind of heat before in any of the kisses she had shared with others. Not that she had a great wealth of experience. She let her fingers drift up and into his silken hair, gently tracing her fingers over his scalp as he continued to give her scorching kisses.

After several minutes he pulled back from her lips, their foreheads resting together as they struggled to catch their breath. Hermione could feel her whole body trembling with the desire that he had awoken within her. She'd never felt this way with Ron or Victor. They hadn't been men like Severus Snape though – and he was undeniably a man. She gently worked her fingers out of his hair, stopping to trace a thumb over his flushed lips. His mouth captured her thumb then, and his tongue traced over the pad of it which sent a jolt of arousal straight to the pit of her stomach.

'This conversation has gotten really side-tracked,' she whispered shakily as he grasped her hand, pressing kisses across her palm and stopping at the pulse point of her wrist.

He removed his mouth from her flesh then and stared directly at her. 'You are beautiful, intelligent and kind, witch,' he said, his voice all velvet. 'Why would you want such damaged goods?'

'You undervalue yourself,' she said quietly. Her heart ached for this man who didn't know just how desirable and singular he was.

'Hermione, I am a very difficult man,' he said, though his argument fell on deaf ears. 'I am stubborn, pedantic, prone to grouchiness, demanding, surly, possessive…'

'I'm rather possessive too,' she said, cutting him off. 'And I am stubborn, single-minded, and a bit of a know-it-all. We're both human – we both have flaws.'

'I can be cruel,' he said quietly.

'You never will be on purpose,' she replied. 'I know you won't.'

'How can you be so sure?'

'I know. Severus, please stop fighting me on this,' she said, feeling a little exasperated.

He smirked at her then. 'I am frustrating you already,' he pointed out.

'Only because you are deliberately being dense,' she said, leaning in and resting her head on his shoulder so she could cuddle close to him on his lap. It felt right.

She heard him sigh heavily before winding his arms around to simply hold her. 'This is very unexpected,' he said, his chin coming to rest lightly on the top of her head.

'I know what you mean.'

'I know I should probably be fighting you harder on this, but at the moment I am finding it difficult not to indulge you… and myself,' he murmured, one of his hands stroking up and down her back gently. 'There can be no denying that I want whatever this is.'

'Then don't deny it,' she said, lifting her head up to look him in the eye. 'Although I have to say, I'd much rather we called it a relationship.'

His brows rose towards his hairline at her mention of the word. 'I have never been in a relationship before,' he admitted, his voice low and quiet – vulnerable.

'Neither have I, really,' she said, nestling her head back onto his shoulder. 'I wouldn't consider a quasi-relationship and one kiss with Ron a relationship. I suppose I sort of had a relationship with Viktor Krum if you want to call him following me around a library, taking me to a dance, and writing letters to one another one summer until we lost interest a relationship.'

Severus chuckled. 'Both of those things are closer to a relationship than anything I have experienced,' he murmured, his hand coming up to gently stroke through her loose curls. 'I'm not innocent. There were… partners of a completely casual nature.'

'I'm not worried about any of that. I knew that you would have a past, Severus,' she said, quietly. 'Will it bother you to know that I do not – that I am technically innocent?' She repeated the phrasing he had used a little awkwardly.

She felt as well as heard him sigh heavily. 'I knew there was a possibility,' he answered. 'I am concerned that you are making a mistake aligning yourself with me for many reasons; and now I can add to the list of my concerns. I will not pressure you, Hermione.'

'I know you won't,' she replied. 'If this between us goes well, would you object to a more physical relationship?'

She both heard and felt Snape's chuckle then. 'You are going to be the death of me, witch.'

Hermione lifted her head from his chest and pressed a soft kiss to her lips then. 'Good,' she said firmly. 'Because I won't be satisfied with just kissing and snuggling forever.'

'I would never have expected you to be this forthright, given your inexperience.'

Hermione smiled at that. 'I might be a virgin, Severus, but I know my own mind,' she said, poking a finger into his chest. 'I can be quite determined, you know.'

'While this conversation and having you in my lap has been quite titillating, I am afraid if we do not move shortly, we may cause Mr Potter to have a stroke,' Severus said then. 'Might I suggest a relocation on your part?'

Hermione nodded. She would have to tell Harry that she was starting a relationship with their former teacher at some point, but she wasn't ready to just yet. She wanted to give it a chance to see if it had potential, and possibly just enjoy it a little before letting anyone else inside. She slid off Snape's lap and walked back around to her normal armchair.

Her legs felt a little like jelly – partially from being sprawled on Severus' lap, and partially because she was practically giddy. Her body tingled pleasantly, even after removing herself from him. She sat down and glanced over at the man, smiling at him before pulling the throw blanket back over her legs and picking up the book she had cast aside. So far, Severus had been passionate in his kisses, and surprisingly affectionate towards her with his actions – and she definitely looked forward to exploring a more physical relationship with him if his kisses were able to scorch her so.

Not long after she had wrenched herself from him and taken up residence in her own armchair again, she heard Harry's footsteps in the hall. A moment later, he poked his head into the room and smiled at her.

'How are you feeling, Hermione?' he asked, walking over to stand beside her chair.

'Better,' she answered, flushing a little. It turned out that a sneaky snogging session with Snape was just what the doctor ordered.

'Excellent,' he replied with a smile. 'Do you mind if I join you?'

'Not at all,' Severus answered, summoning the chair from behind his desk with a crook of his finger.

'Thanks,' Harry said, plopping down on the chair. 'I have something I wanted to run past you both while I have you here.'

'What is it, Harry?' Hermione asked, curious.

'Well, I've been having a lot of trouble deciding on what to do once we finish the project at Hogwarts. At some point I'm going to need to get a job, and I've been talking to Luna a lot lately… And after a lot of thought, I have decided I want to become her business partner and invest in building up the Quibbler as a competing paper to the Prophet.'

Hermione glanced over at Severus to see his expression hadn't changed. She was a little surprised. Harry had always spoken about wanting to be an Auror one day. Although after what they had been through the past seven years, she didn't blame him for not wanting to spend the rest of his life chasing dark wizards and criminals. But working for a newspaper was not how she imagined him spending his time – she was proud of him for thinking outside of the box.

'That sounds incredible, Harry,' she said, smiling proudly.

'Do you really think so? Be honest,' he asked.

'It will be a lot of work, and a difficult road, Potter,' Severus said, drawing their attention. 'But anything worth having is worth the hard work.'

Hermione looked up at him and their eyes locked. His dark eyes bore into her own, almost as though he were willing her to hear the unspoken promise to her in his words to Harry. She gave an almost imperceptible nod and she saw the corner of his mouth quirk up for the barest second.

'I will help you however you need,' she said, turning her eyes back to Harry.

'I was secretly hoping you would offer,' he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. 'I have funds and the benefit of being the bloody boy saviour behind me, Luna has the paper and pre-existing framework of the paper, but we really need a business plan, and some sort of marketing know-how to figure out how to sell the paper as a competitor without turning it into the Prophet. I know Luna really wants to keep certain aspects of it quirky, you know, to honour her father's legacy.'

'Of course,' Hermione replied. 'I think a good way to incorporate those elements would be to have that in a particular portion of the paper, or as a recurring column, which might be nice to name after Xenophilius.'

'I might be able to assist you with the business plan,' Severus added, surprising them both.

'I would be forever grateful, Severus,' Harry said, looking chuffed. 'This is honestly just what I needed – I can't tell you how much I never want to be involved in any more conflicts again. I feel terrible because I know Kingsley's been really hoping for me to become an Auror, but I just feel like that part of my life needs to stay in the past.'

'I think that is a very wise choice,' Severus said. 'Breaking stereotypes is difficult, believe me. It will be good to try and establish yourself however you see fit now, while you are young. Besides, you could always fall back on Ministry work later on if you choose to – they'll never turn you down. You as good as died and came back to life for them.'

Harry chuckled, and Hermione felt a swelling of affection and gratitude towards Severus. As she sat there looking between the two most important people in her life at that moment, she felt so content. The two of them were getting along so well, they might even one day consider one another friends, and she dearly hoped that would be the case.

She wasn't sure what to call, or think of Severus as, now that they had agreed to attempt a relationship between them. He was not exactly a boyfriend – such a term felt too immature and woefully inadequate. To call him her lover was not accurate at that time, either. They had not been affectionate towards one another long enough to consider themselves partners and, as they had not officially been on a date, they weren't really dating either. Trying to put labels on it was proving rather difficult. And then it occurred to her, that it just might not need to have one to be real, and she shook herself from her thoughts and refocussed on the conversation at hand.

'I am going to make tea,' she heard Severus say, and looked over at him. 'Would you like any, Hermione?'

She nodded gratefully. She was still feeling a little under the weather. 'With honey, please?'

He stood from his armchair and walked past them both to go to the kitchen. 'Anything for you, Potter?'

'One day, you're going to have to start calling me Harry,' he said teasingly. 'And tea would be great. With milk please.'

A moment later he was out the door, and Hermione listened to his boots tap against the wood as he walked down the hall. She looked back at Harry, who suddenly had a nervous expression on his face. His hands were clasped together on his lap, and he looked a little guilty as well.

'Okay, spill,' she said, reaching over to place her hands on his to still the fidgeting. 'Something is obviously bothering you.'

'I have something else I wanted to tell you, but I wasn't sure if it was too soon or not,' he said, looking down at his hands.

'Harry, you know you can always tell me anything,' she said, squeezing his hands.

'I'm sort of seeing someone,' he mumbled quickly and quietly, like he was trying to get it out fast enough that she might not hear him properly.

'You are?' she asked, surprised yet again.

'I know it's only been a couple of months since I ended things with Ginny, but, well, I've been spending a lot of time with her, and it just feels very easy and natural…'

'Harry,' Hermione said seriously, causing him to look up at her. 'It's perfectly okay for you to date. I'm really glad you have found someone that you like.'

'I'm relieved you've said that. I really don't want to hurt Ginny any more than I have, so I've been trying not to be too public or showy about it. I think we are both just enjoying spending time together and getting to know one another better,' he explained.

'Who is it?'

'Luna,' he said shyly, a flush crossing his cheeks.

Hermione beamed. 'You couldn't have chosen a lovelier person to spend time with,' she said, genuinely happy for her friend.

'She is lovely,' he agreed. 'And she is smart and great with spells. She's pretty and nice, and I want to spend time with her.'

'Is that the reason you want to go into business with her?' Hermione asked curiously.

'No, actually. We started talking about the paper and its potential weeks ago. Talking about the paper got us spending more time together and it just opened my eyes to the possibilities.'

'I would love to catch up with Luna myself actually,' Hermione said, wondering how long it had been since she had seen any of her friends outside of Harry and Snape, and the people she saw at Hogwarts while she worked. 'Maybe we could organise something soon?'

'Luna would love that,' he said, smiling. 'I'm really glad that you are supportive of this. I really like her.'

'I am always on your side,' she said, reaching over to hold her friend's hand.

'How touching.'

Hermione looked up to see Severus standing in the doorway with the tea tray, his face bearing a smirk. She wondered how long he had been standing there. The man was as silent as the night when he wanted to be.

'How much did you hear?' Harry asked, releasing Hermione's hand.

'Miss Lovegood returns to school when the new term begins, does she not?' he said, walking in and placing the try on the coffee table.

Harry nodded. 'It's definitely come up,' he replied. 'I'll be taking most of the responsibility for the paper while she is at school during the term. She will write some of the articles, but I plan to recruit a couple of part-time staff to help with the paper.'

Severus nodded, resuming his seat and beginning to pour the tea. 'A long distance relationship will also present some challenges.'

'I'll be sure to visit her in Hogsmeade through the term,' Harry said, leaning forward to accept his teacup, pouring a generous dash of milk into it. 'It's still very new, and we have all the time in the world – one school year isn't such a big deal to either of us.'

Hermione realised then that she and Severus were entering into what was going to be somewhat of a relationship of distance. She would be in Cokeworth and studying at St. Mungo's, and he would be at Hogwarts most of the school term, with the exception of his weekends off. She reminded herself to have a chat with him about how they would arrange times to see one another.

'You are welcome to stay here when I return to teaching during the term,' Snape said to Harry. 'Hermione has already indicated that she will be staying.'

Harry smiled. 'Thank you for the offer, but I was actually planning to move back to Grimmauld Place soon. Ron let me know the new Burrow is almost finished, and the Weasleys will be moving back in shortly. I was going to remodel Black Manor so that the Quibbler can operate from the first floor of the house – there is plenty of room for offices and a printing press. I am going to live upstairs. The ground floor can be for entertaining and guests, and the kitchen is huge, so it'll be ideal for any catering that needs to happen. Kreacher has become rather mellow now that he is a free elf and I've started paying him, and he seems chuffed to stay on at the house with me.'

'That actually sounds like a really great plan, Harry!' Hermione exclaimed.

'I do have good ideas now and again,' he said with a sly smirk.

She accepted the cup of tea Snape passed to her and took a grateful sip. 'Thank you, Severus,' she said with a smile.

He nodded at her, lifting his own to his mouth. 'It appears that we are all about to become extremely busy people.'

'I'm rather excited for the future now,' Harry said in agreement.

'So am I,' Hermione said, glancing over at Snape.

There was a look of fondness that softened his expression as he gazed back at her, reassuring her. Hermione's life had been forever changed that day she had gone back to the Shrieking Shack to save him - and she was so glad that she had. She lifted her teacup to her mouth again, taking another sip and sighing in contentment.

To be continued.

A/N – Thanks again to my home girl TheFauxMe for wrestling with those damn Oxford commas for me.