A/N: We're nearing the end, only two chapters left after this one. Thank you everyone who commented, I'm rubbish at responing but I read every one 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing.


Chapter Thirty

Severus snored softly into her hair, but Hermione couldn't sleep. In less than three hours she would sit before the Wizengamot and argue her proposal for a new security system in Azkaban. She had gone over it countless times the previous night, but she still felt woefully unprepared. Severus had pulled her upstairs before midnight and done his best to both relax and distract her from what lay ahead. It had worked for a bit – her brain being blissfully fuzzy after her climax – but then it had started whirring again.

She sighed. There was no way she would be able to go back to sleep, and she carefully untangled herself from Severus' grip. He let out a small sigh but otherwise didn't stir. The pale blue light of dawn lit up the landing as she went into the bathroom. Tying her hair up in a bun, she cast a water-repelling charm on the curls before stepping into the shower. She closed her eyes and let the hot water cascade down on her face and body. Maybe she could stay there all day instead. Yes, that sounded like a much better plan.

Footsteps sounded on the tile floor, and the shower curtain was pulled aside. Callused hands wrapped around her middle, and she leaned back into his hard body.

Hermione turned her head slightly, covering his hands with her own, and nuzzling his shoulder. "I hope I didn't wake you."

Severus pressed a kiss to her shoulder. "Your absence did."

"Sorry."

"Don't be."

He turned her gently in his arms. His hair was slightly mussed, and he had a pillow mark on his cheek. It made Hermione smile, and she traced it with her thumb.

"I couldn't sleep. I'm too nervous."

"It'll be fine," Severus reassured her.

He reached for the shower gel on the shelf behind her, and after putting some in his palm started rubbing it on her shoulders. She sighed blissfully as he went down her arms, massaging each finger slightly. He paid extra close attention to her breasts, and she bit her lip as heat pooled in her centre. Once every inch of her had been lathered and massaged, he backed her into the spray to rinse.

Hermione followed a droplet of water as it fell from his hair, down over his chest and into the curls above his half-erect cock. She wet her lips. He smirked at her appreciative look.

"We have plenty of time," he purred, running a hand over her waist.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Somehow I doubt shower sex is as good of an idea as they make it out in the movies."

Pressing her against the tile wall – which made her shriek – he rubbed his nose against her jaw. "We've got magic; I could always use a sticking charm."

Giggling, she let her hands splay over his slick back and down to cup his arse, flexing her hips against his. "Try it and I'll hex you."

"Fair enough." Severus placed a kiss on her jaw, then fell to his knees. His hand slid around her hip and put her left thigh over his shoulder before lowering his mouth.

Hermione slung her head back against the wall with a moan, eyes falling closed. She felt more relaxed already.

Unfortunately the relaxed feeling didn't last long, and she was barely able to force down half a piece of toast and some weak tea for breakfast. It felt somewhat wrong to put on her funeral robes, but they were the only professional robes she owned. She applied a bit more makeup than she normally would, and spent entirely too long on trying to wrestle her hair into a neat looking chignon.

"I don't know how long I'll be," she said walking downstairs, "but I'll bring us back pudding. Do you have any preference?"

Severus shook his head. "Whatever you choose will be fine." He caught her arm in the doorway to the sitting room. "Breathe, love. Your proposal is ready, and so are you."

She exhaled through a laugh. "I don't feel ready."

He chuckled. "I know, but you are. You know this proposal by heart."

Hermione sighed. "Thank you."

Cupping her face, he kissed her softly.

Hermione only checked her bag for her copy of the proposal four times between stepping out of the Floo and entering the lift, which she thought showed a lot of restraint on her part.

The hearing would take place in one of the courtrooms on level ten, and Hermione's chest tightened as she walked down the black stone hallway. It was empty save for a lone wooden chair to the left of the large door. The chair creaked when Hermione sat. She crossed and uncrossed her legs, checked so no hairs had escaped her updo, and ran her tongue over her teeth. The minutes seemed to drag by.

The door opened with an echoing sound. Kingsley stepped out in the hallway, dressed in plum robes and with a grim look on his face.

"Miss Granger, please come in," he said, moving aside. No "Hermione" for her today, it would seem.

She stood and walked ahead of him into the courtroom. It too was made of black stone and lit by several torches. Benches on different levels lined the square room, and opposite the door she'd just entered sat the Wizengamot. It wasn't the same courtroom where Umbridge had held the hearings about Muggle-borns during the war, for which she was grateful. She wasn't sure she could be there if it had been.

"Please take a seat," Kingsley said, gesturing to an uncomfortable looking chair in the middle of the room. A wooden table had been set up in front of it, and Hermione squeezed through the gap – since it seemed both pieces of furniture had been stuck to the ground – and sat.

It was difficult not to feel intimidated, looking up at the Wizengamot. She recognised many of them by face, if not by name. It made her feel very small.

Kingsley cleared his throat. "As Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, I declare this meeting on May 2nd 1999 open. Today we hear Miss Hermione Jean Granger, who has submitted a proposal for a new security system in Azkaban prison. Miss Granger, you have the floor."

Hermione gulped.

The silver ragweed was almost fully grown, Severus remarked as he watered the raised garden beds. They would only need a week or two before being ready to harvest. Standing up straight, he came to the sudden realisation that he wouldn't be there in two weeks. His sentence would be up, and he would be a free man. What a strange notion.

The garage door opened, showing Hermione. The black robes made her seem both taller and more severe, but her smile was soft when she approached him.

"How did it go?"

"Fine, I think," she said. "They listened to my proposal, asked some questions and that was it, really. I don't know when they'll make their decision, but I hope it's soon. Have you had tea yet?"

"No, I was waiting for you."

She leant up to kiss his cheek. "I'm gonna change and we can have tea outside."

Severus set up the garden furniture in a spot in the sun and after making sure there were no neighbours around he cast a quick Scourgify on the wood. Hermione came back outside carrying a tray with tea and two slices of Bakewell tart. She had changed into jeans and a light jumper, hair wild around her face, and she looked lovely. He found he preferred it to the harshness of her robes.

"You'll have to harvest those," he said once they had finished eating, gesturing to the silver ragweed. "It won't be ready until after I've left."

Hermione turned her face from the sun and shielded her eyes with her hand. "You're leaving?"

He touched her shoulder. "Once my sentence is finished, yes. I can't stay in this house forever."

She bit her lip. "I suppose I knew that, but we haven't really talked about it." Sighing, she twisted to face him, bringing her legs up on the bench. "Where will you go? Back to Spinner's End?"

He twirled a curl around his finger and shrugged. "I suppose, for the time being at least."

"You could keep staying here," she said to the back of his hand, where she traced her thumb over his knuckles. "There's room, and you have the potions lab already set up."

He stretched out the curl and then let it go, watching it bounce back into place. "That's not a good idea."

Her brown eyes shot up to his. "Why not?"

"I told you why." He caught her chin lightly when she looked away. "I'm not trying to upset you. I love you, you know that. If I were to stay here after my sentence..." he sighed. "I would be hiding, and I've done enough of that."

"I'm sorry," she said weakly. "I just don't want you to leave."

"I'm not leaving you, so don't think that for a second."

"Logically, I know that," Hermione said with a slight smile. "It'll just be a change to not have you here all the time."

"It will be. But we'll manage."

She squeezed his hand. "We'll figure it out together."

Despite himself, Severus chuckled. Wonderful, strong, beautiful Hermione. "We will."

If Severus had thought – or hoped, more like – that Hermione would slow down once the proposal was out of her hands, he was sorely mistaken. It hadn't been hard to convince her to take the afternoon off after the hearing, but the next morning he was awoken at some ungodly hour by her pushing his hair from his face and kissing his cheek.

"Hermione?" he said, still half asleep and turned onto his back. "Where are you going?"

"Hogwarts, to study for my NEWTs," she said, pulling her jumper over her head. "I'll probably be back late."

There was no reason for Severus to stay in bed once Hermione no longer occupied it with him, so when he heard the Floo whoosh downstairs he dragged himself out of bed and into the shower.

The early morning sun greeted him as he walked out to the potions lab. The newest order from Poppy – which arrived by owl every other Monday – showed a near triple increase in demand for Calming Draught and Invigoration Draught. It was no wonder; it was revision time for both the OWL and NEWT students. It was his least favourite time of the school year – second only to Valentine's Day – and during his time as Head of House he had dealt with his fair share of hysterical students during exam times. His method was usually to give them a vial of Calming Draught and send them on their way, lest they start crying on his shoulder.

Neither of the potions – even in large volumes and using his modifications – were terribly complex nor time-consuming to brew, so he let his mind wander to his conversation with Hermione the previous day. Time was running out on him deciding what to do.

Hermione rubbed her tired eyes. The Invigoration Draught she had taken earlier that afternoon had definitely worn off. The late spring air was slightly chilly, and the sun was only starting to set behind the Forbidden Forest as she walked down towards Hogsmeade. She had learnt the hard way not to Apparate home after a full day of revision, so instead she headed towards the Three Broomsticks.

A few minutes later, she stepped out of the Floo in the sitting room.

Severus folded The Daily Prophet and put it on the coffee table. "Welcome home."

Hermione smiled. "Thank you. I'm knackered." She put her bag down and joined him on the sofa. "What did you do today?" she asked, snuggling up at his side.

"A lot of thinking, actually," he said, shifting so she fit better against him. "About what you said last week."

She frowned. "What did I say last week? Was it the bit about the gold loo? Merlin, you haven't bought a gold loo, have you, Severus?"

He chuckled. "I haven' I have decided to have a go at opening an apothecary after my sentence is up."

"You have?" She sat, smiling widely. "That's wonderful news, Severus!"

He looked amused. "There's no guarantee it'll take off; people may not want to buy their potions from a former Death Eater, but I owe it to myself to try."

Hermione touched his face, fingers curling around his jaw. "It'll be fantastic, I know it."

Severus turned into her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. "Thank you. Of course, I can't start straight away; I need to get my patents in order, as well as find a shop space." He smirked. "It also would seem I'm in need of a potions lab to start brewing in, just until I get the one in the shop set up. You wouldn't happen to know of such a space?"

Hermione squealed. "You'll do your brewing here?"

When he nodded, she wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder. He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her before kissing the top of her head. Without knowing why, tears welled up in her eyes. He wouldn't leave her.


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