A/N: Many thanks to Amortentia in my Veins for the fabulous beta work. This was written for the scratch-that-niche fest 2021. It's been incredibly fun and fulfilling participating in this.

Chapter 2

When they finally awoke, it was close to lunchtime. Hermione made a couple of sandwiches as she waited for Severus to emerge from her bedroom. After a while he came downstairs.

"I made some lunch," she told him.

His eyes narrowed, but he thanked her. Taking a sandwich, he bit into it as he sat down at the table.

"I've got butterbeer, pumpkin juice, or tea. Which would you like?" Hermione asked.

"I could use a cup of tea," he answered.

She poured the cup and set it in front of him.

"Thank you," he said.

Hermione sat down across from him with her pumpkin juice and sandwich.

"So, what are your plans?" Hermione asked him.

Severus sipped at his tea before answering her. "I need a place to live. And some money to pay for living expenses. Probably could use a change of clothes, too."

Hermione smiled. "Well, I can help you with the last one. I have a box of clothes that I was going to get rid of. You can transfigure them into all the black capes you can get your hands on."

Severus wanted to snap at her. He could find his own clothes… he didn't need her handouts… but he had no money right now. He breathed in deeply to calm himself.

"Thank you. I will do that."

They ate quietly for a few moments.

"Do you think my Gringotts account is retrievable?" he asked.

"Possibly. I can ask Bill without naming names, unless you're going public right away?"

"I probably don't want to do that yet," Severus grumbled. "By the way, what do you do for a living now?"

"I work for the Ministry. I'm in the Magical Creatures division."

"Typical," he countered.

"What does that mean?" she asked, a bit perturbed by his remark.

He looked up at her. "Just that you have always been the champion for the downtrodden." He gazed at her for a bit. He'd wanted to push her away—make her dislike him—but he found he couldn't be caustic to her. "Your position with the ministry suits you."

Hermione relaxed. "Thank you! I feel like I'm making a difference."

Nodding, he asked her another question that had been on his mind. "And you're not Hermione Weasley yet?" he asked.

Hermione almost spit out the pumpkin juice she was currently drinking.

"Ron? Oh, no. No, no, no. That ended a long time ago."

She waved her one hand at him as she secured the safety of her glass of juice with the other.

"I dated Roger Davies for a while, though. We almost got married."

"But you didn't?" Severus asked with an arched brow.

"No."

She pursed her lips as she thought about how to explain her relationship with Roger.

"It was for the best, really. We cared about one another very much, but we found that we didn't really have that spark, you know? We kept trying but felt like buddies all the time instead of lovers. After a while, we concluded that no matter how hard we tried, we just weren't right for one another. We both decided that we could find someone who excited us more." She shrugged. "We're still good friends."

They were quiet for some time, and Hermione felt a bit awkward with the silence.

"Let me send an owl to Bill and ask about what happens to vaults of the deceased."

She got up and went to her desk, quickly composing a note to Bill. Rising, she moved over to her owl, scratching his neck.

"Oh, Zuni, you are so cute!" she said as she attached the scroll to her owl's extended leg. The brown and grey owl hooted at her and blinked its eyes.

"Take this to Bill Weasley, please," she directed. The owl blinked again before taking off from its perch and flying out the window.

Hermione meandered back into the kitchen. "Bill is usually fairly good at getting back to me quickly. We should have an answer by this afternoon or tomorrow, I'd think."

Severus nodded.

"Where do you want to live?" Hermione asked.

Severus looked at her with uncertainty. "I don't know. I didn't expect to be alive."

Hermione became serious. "Are you okay? This all has to be quite disconcerting for you. Do you want to talk about it?"

Severus gave her a grumpy look. "I'm fine, Miss Granger."

Rising from his seat, he stalked off and left her flat. Hermione watched him go and blew a stray curl out of her face in frustration.

"That went well," she said in defeat.

oooo

Severus stalked out of Hermione's building feeling troubled. He was upset, but he wasn't sure just what he was upset about. Granger had asked a question that he'd been avoiding since he had regained consciousness the night before. Her question hadn't really upset him, but he felt an urgent need to work out just how he felt about all this sooner rather than later, and the last thing he wanted to do was mull all that over in front of Granger.

He walked down the crowded city street and realized he needed somewhere quiet to think. Finding a deserted alley, he Apparated away and appeared in a place that was very familiar to him. Needing that familiarity right then, he was glad that the area was deserted.

He glanced at the lonely swing set off in the distance and headed there. Looking around, he noted there were large patches of dead grass all around the park. It took no time at all to get to the swing set. The park was much smaller than he had remembered. This was his childhood playground—where he'd spent time with Lily. The only place outside of Hogwarts that felt comforting… like home. He took off his cloak and sat down on a swing.

His mind went back to his last thoughts before dying. Looking into Potter's eyes—seeking Lily's gaze—he'd wanted redemption. He'd just gotten confused green eyes staring back at him.

Sixteen years of his life—almost half of it—he had devoted to one woman. He'd devoted his loyalty to her, and Dumbledore had seen that as an opportunity to use him. Oh, yes, there was a friendship there, but Severus was not a fool. He knew his purpose, and he knew why Dumbledore had kept him so close.

He had been the linchpin of Albus' grand scheme.

Used.

All his life he'd been used. His parents used him as a point of contention between the two of them. At Hogwarts, his housemates only kept him around for a laugh or if they needed him for something. When he'd given his life to a cause with the Dark Lord, he found he was being used again. Then the final nail in the coffin… Albus Dumbledore. The almighty wizard who cared for no one unless they could forward his agenda.

Severus stood from the swing, the cloak on his lap falling to the ground. His fists clenched and a snarl left his mouth.

"You bastard!" he cried into the empty field. "I did everything for you, and what did you reward me with? 'You have to kill me, Severus' you said. 'It's the only way,' you said."

He began to breathe heavily, his chest moving up and down in fury. Bursting from the side of the swing set, he paced around madly while bringing his hands up to his chest.

"You used me. Made me your right-hand man, only to cast me to the dogs. Everyone… and oh, I mean everyone hated me. I had killed the most beloved wizard of all time! Any ally of yours immediately hated me. And my own allies within the Death Eaters? They hated me too! I had garnered the eye of our master and had taken a place by his side. They hated me for my position," he ground out bitterly.

"Damn you, Albus! Damn you for being a bastard and for making my life hell!"

His breathing began to slowly quiet. His chest still heaved, but it was finally lessening as he came to a stop, glowering as if the old man stood right in front of him.

"I can never forgive you for what you have done," he murmured. "I don't care that your portrait says that you are my friend. You only cared about me for what I was worth to you in the cause. You made me kill you! I can never make that go away, and I have been unable to get over it since!"

He turned and stalked back to the swing, sitting down with finality.

"Well, to hell with you! Oddly enough, I gave myself a new life, and I'm going to live it to the fullest! You have no more hold over me, old man, and you never will again. I will find the happiness that potion promised, and I will put all of this behind me."

He quieted finally, moving back and forth on the swing with his feet solidly on the ground. His eyes moved to the swing next to him.

"Lily…" he whispered. "I did all I could to save your son. I hope you can forgive me for betraying you to the Dark Lord."

After staring at the adjacent swing for a time, he murmured, "You would want me to be happy, I hope."

His mind strayed to Granger. He understood that the potion would activate if he could find happiness, and he'd wound up tumbling into her flat. Logically, it would make sense if she was to bring him happiness. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. He almost wanted to reject the notion, seeing that Albus had been the first one to suggest it, but that would be having the old man manipulate him in an entirely different way, wouldn't it?

Still swaying forward and back slowly, he mulled over the girl… woman… he'd awakened to. She was not what he would have expected. She'd always been an attention seeker during school. She had seemed to be self-conscious, needing approval to feel good about herself. He could relate to that. Perhaps that's why he'd treated her so cruelly.

But now she seemed comfortable in her own skin. He supposed that maturing would do that to a person.

She had said she wasn't seeing anyone. Maybe he'd been brought back to make her happy as well?

He shook his head. "Ridiculous!"

But the thought niggled at the back of his mind. What if they could make one another happy, and he was being too stubborn to even consider it?

He'd need to assess the situation. Things might be more than they seemed.

oooo

Hermione looked up as the door opened. Severus stepped through. She gave him a measured look, not sure what his mood would be. He returned her gaze with a quick nod as he moved into the room.

"I apologize for leaving so abruptly," Severus said as he came into the room and sat across from her. "Everything hit me at once with your question."

"Are you all right, then?" she asked tentatively, afraid to set him off.

He nodded.

Hermione shifted on her chair. "Look, Severus, I know you're a private man, but if you want to talk about anything, I am a good listener."

Severus stared at her as if trying to read her mind. He could use Legilimency but wouldn't without her permission. The old him would have snapped at her for even offering such an intimate suggestion, but he wasn't that man anymore, was he? Not if he could help it.

Clearing his throat, he sat back and began to talk to her. "As I said, your question earlier sparked the realization in me that I was alive, but everything was different."

Hermione nodded, urging him to continue. His hand came up to his face, and he rubbed it, trying to put into words what he wanted to say.

"What do you know of my past?" he asked finally.

Hermione straightened. "I know you had been working to fell Voldemort for most of your life."

"And what do you think of Dumbledore?" he fired back quickly.

Hermione frowned. "As a youth, I regarded him with great respect. I thought he was a doting old man who only had our best interests at heart. That year on the run… what we learned about him…" Her eyes met his. "How he used people… I have little respect for him anymore."

Severus regarded her with admiration. So many people loved that old bugger, even when they understood what he'd done.

"But he was the all-knowing Albus Dumbledore," Severus snapped.

"He was a vile, manipulative man. He almost killed Harry. He made you kill him, then his foolhardy plan resulted in you losing your life. Albus Dumbledore was a horrid person!"

He stared at her, dumbstruck. This wasn't the kiss-ass Hermione Granger he remembered. This was a woman who took no shite from anyone and didn't care who she was talking to or about. This was a woman he could spend time with. He filed that away for further investigation later.

"You can imagine that I do not see him as the glorious savior of the world either," he advised.

"Of course not. He was horrible to you. I was surprised that you even went to see him yesterday."

"It is the last time I will ever seek him out. I am done with him and his machinations. He wants to control everyone and everything around him."

"Did he ask anything of you when you saw him?" Hermione asked curiously.

"He suggested something." His eyes met hers. "But despite my wanting to ignore him, what he suggested might be for the best."

"What was it?" Hermione queried.

"I cannot say. It is a… private… matter."

"Of course. I didn't mean to pry, Severus," Hermione apologized.

"It's all right. But getting back to the subject, I need to work out what my life is going to be like. I'm no longer under the thumb of two despots."

Hermione moved to the edge of her chair. "You're free to do as you wish. That must be liberating." Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she spoke to him.

Once again, he stared at her. The woman was very perceptive. He wasn't expecting that. He gave her a crisp nod.

"To be honest, I'm not sure what to do with my newfound freedom," he confessed.

Hermione smiled warmly at him. "Well, take all the time you need to figure it out. You're welcome to stay here. I know you said that you wouldn't stay long, and that's fine, but don't feel like I'm pushing you to go. There's plenty of room in this flat for the both of us."

Her words and kindness made Severus feel horrible. He looked down in embarrassment.

"Hermione," he murmured at long last. "I must apologize to you. I have thought for the longest time that you were a harpy, among other things. I find that in getting to know you, you're hardly that. I misjudged you, and I'm sorry for that."

Hermione looked dumbstruck. Her mouth gaped open as she stared at Severus incredulously.

"What?" he ground out tersely.

"I never thought I'd hear you say anything like that to me," Hermione admitted.

"Well, I have a new chance at life. I want to start it the right way. You have been very cordial to me. I don't want to ruin this by being an arse."

Hermione chuckled. "You? An arse? Why Severus Snape, how could you ever think that about yourself? I mean, no one else has ever thought that way about you," she teased.

His eyes narrowed at her before he smirked. "That's true. I'm probably more beloved than Dumbledore himself."

They both laughed heartily at that. Severus felt something stir within him as he watched Hermione laugh. Her smile was like a breath of fresh air, and he wanted to see more of it. The woman was more than he had expected, which intrigued him. His apology to her had been sincere. He wanted to start fresh with her, and he suddenly felt as though it was particularly important for him to get to know her better.

oooo

Severus descended the stairs, yawning as he sat down at the breakfast table. Hermione set a cup of tea and a plate of eggs before him.

"I'll need to pay you back for feeding me these last two days. How about I make dinner tonight?"

She smiled as she settled in across from him. "That would be lovely. What would you like to make?"

"Well, as I am penniless, I'll have to choose from the items in your pantry."

She nodded and smiled again. "Speaking of which, I heard back from Bill."

He arched an eyebrow at her. "What did he say?"

"So, when someone dies with no relatives, a vault is sealed for seven years to ensure there's no one who will come around claiming the contents."

"Really?" he asked with some hope showing on his face.

"Really," she advised.

"Well then, my vault should still be intact."

"Yes, so you can access it at any time."

He stood up to rush to Gringotts.

"Wait, Severus?"

Turning back, he gazed at her curiously.

"Maybe you should change your appearance or something until you're talking to the Goblin that will be able to reinstate your vault. You said you didn't want to be outed just yet."

He sighed. "You are correct. You wouldn't happen to have any Polyjuice and a stray hair lying around, would you?"

Hermione chuckled. "Actually, I do have some Polyjuice. You never know when you'll need it, and it just takes too long to brew."

She stood. "As for a hair… unless you want to go as me, then I don't have anything that would work for you."

He frowned. "Perhaps just a simple glamour."

Hermione nodded in agreement.

In an instant, Severus had transformed his looks. He turned himself blonde, straightened his nose, and gave himself a darker complexion. Hermione looked him up and down from head to toe.

"Not bad," she advised.

"Anything is better than what I normally look like," Severus replied sourly.

"Oh, don't be daft. You are someone I've always found to be striking."

Severus stared at her for a moment. "Please, Granger. There's no need to lie. I know what I look like. Coming back from the dead hasn't made me any nicer to gaze upon."

Hermione bit her lip. She wanted to argue with him, but she knew it would be futile. Besides, what would he think if she started in on how she found him to be handsome? He'd growl at her and possibly even hex her. She decided to just shrug but couldn't quite keep her mouth shut.

"I wasn't lying," she related simply.

His eyes moved over her face. She felt as if she was being scrutinized intensely. Finally, he sighed.

"Granger, would you mind accompanying me?"

She smiled widely. "Sure, Severus," she replied. "I'd love to. And call me Hermione. You have before."

oooo

He'd been surprised by her commenting about his looks in a positive way. No woman really had ever made a positive mention about him in that department. He wondered at that.

"Are you ready… Hermione?"

She beamed at him and his heart stilled with her grin.

Extending his arm out to her, he thought her cheeks reddened a little as she took it. Having her arm nestled within his felt right. He paused and shook his head slightly to clear it.

Leading her out of the flat, he spun around, and they appeared in the alley next to Gringotts. They moved up the stairs together. Reaching out, he opened the door for her, following behind. They made their way up the aisle, not looking at the Goblins lining it.

"I need to speak with someone about Severus Snape's vault," he told the Goblin at the desk.

"And who are you?" the Goblin demanded.

"I would like to reveal that in private," Severus said diffidently.

"May I examine your wand?" the Goblin asked.

Severus surrendered his wand. The Goblin examined it, his eyes snapping up to Severus'.

Clearing his throat, the Goblin turned to Hermione. "And your wand, Miss Granger?"

She surrendered her wand for examination. It was returned summarily, and the Goblin nodded for them to follow him. They were taken into a back room, where another Goblin with an exceptionally long nose and white hair was seated, writing on a parchment. The Goblin leading them approached the other and whispered in his ear. The long-nosed Goblin nodded as his eyes drew up to look at Severus.

"Flotwood will see you," the other Goblin introduced before backing away.

Hermione and Severus entered the office and stood before the long-nosed creature. He looked them up and down before motioning for them to be seated.

"You are claiming access to Severus Snape's vault?"

Severus removed the glamour. "I am Severus Snape."

"Highly unlikely, as he is dead."

"We live in a magical world. I have been brought back to life."

The Goblin regarded him seriously. "Your wand?" he demanded.

Severus handed it over.

"You look like him, and you possess his wand," Flotwood stated as he handed it back to Severus. "But how can you prove that you are truly Severus Snape back from the dead?"

"I can vouch for him," Hermione interjected.

Severus' head snapped to her, and he looked at her curiously.

"I have vetted him. He is who he claims to be," she explained.

The Goblin looked between the two of them.

"Mr. Snape, place your hand on this blue stone," he ordered as he pulled the stone from his desk and placed it in front of Severus.

The stone glowed as Severus put his hand on it. Flotwood nodded.

"Surprisingly, you are who you say you are," the small creature muttered before looking at Severus. "I can take you to your vault now."

A few minutes and a scary roller coaster ride later, they were at his vault. It took the Goblin a few minutes to release the seal on the door before they were allowed to enter. Hermione's eyes grew wide as she noted everything within.

"Severus, I didn't know you were so wealthy," she remarked as her hand brushed over a small pile of Galleons.

He smirked at her. "Nobody does."

He motioned at the contents of the vault. "This is the Prince fortune. I inherited it when the last of the Princes died a couple of years before the second war. I chose to keep it secret so that if I survived the war, I could disappear and have money to support myself."

"Oh," Hermione said, looking crestfallen.

Severus noted her reaction and studied her in surprise.

"So, you're going to take the money and disappear?" Hermione asked sadly.

"I am not."

She met his dark eyes with her own, urging him to explain himself.

"It's been five years. Honestly, I don't think I need to hide. You already told me I've been exonerated from all charges. I'd prefer to make my life here."

Hermione smiled. "I'm glad," she told him as her eyes grew bright.

Again, Severus noticed how happy she seemed. Perhaps this would work out after all.

oooo

Hermione entered Kingsley's office with a blonde man in tow. Kingsley smiled at her.

"Hermione, good to see you. And who is your friend?"

Hermione shut the door behind them as the blonde seated himself in front of Kingsley's desk. With a flick of his wand, he had revealed himself to be Severus Snape.

"What?" Kingsley exclaimed.

Hermione settled in a chair next to Severus. Kingsley gave her an incredulous look.

"You knew about this?" he asked with wide eyes.

"Well, yes."

"So, as you may have guessed," Severus drawled. "I didn't die in the Shrieking Shack during the battle."

Kingsley looked from Severus to Hermione. "You've vetted him, I assume?"

"Oh, he is definitely who he claims to be," Hermione advised.

"May I continue?" Severus said imperiously.

"Sure, sure," Kingsley said. "Please go on," he said with a flourish of his hand.

Severus related the story he had devised with Hermione's help to explain his return from the dead.

"I had taken an antivenin and blood replenisher before meeting with the Dark Lord. It was just enough to save my life."

"Severus, we gathered your body and buried it next to Dumbledore's. I saw it myself," Kingsley ground out.

Severus nodded. "I know you did." He leaned in towards Kingsley. "You see, I had planned for the possibility that I might survive the war. I knew I couldn't stay here; I'd be killed or sent to Azkaban for the rest of my life. I carried a petrified mouse on my person at all times. When I regained consciousness after the attack, I took it and Transfigured it into an exact likeness of myself. Once that was done, I disappeared to a safe house I had established in Switzerland. I've been there ever since."

Kingsley gave him a measured look as he digested his story. "But Severus, why now? Why did you decide to come back at this time?" Kingsley demanded.

"I kept to myself until recently. I became curious as to what the Wizarding world was up to. I started watching the press. The write-up of the anniversary of the Final Battle mentioned me in a particularly good light."

Severus paused and looked seriously at Kingsley.

"To be honest, I've missed home. I was relieved to see that if I did return, I would probably not spend my life behind bars, and that possibly I could have a decent life here."

"This is remarkable," Kingsley muttered. "To think, you've been alive all this time. I'm thrilled that you survived, Severus!" he gushed as a huge smile lit up his face.

Severus bowed his head slightly in acknowledgment. "Thank you."

"So, what can I do for you?"

Severus gave him a steady look. "Ensure that I can't be sent to Azkaban."

"We exonerated you after the war, Severus. You have no need to worry about that," Kingsley assured.

Severus gave a slight acknowledgment to the other man. "I also would like you to announce my return as quietly as possible. I do not wish to be inundated with fools asking stupid questions."

Kingsley nodded quickly. "I have a friend at the Prophet. He can do a write-up, but not on the front page, and not as sensational as it could be."

Severus nodded.

"But don't think that this won't be the story of the year, Severus, whether it's hidden on page five or right on the front page."

Severus sighed. "I know. I just want a little peace while the news is disseminated."

He stood then. "Thank you, Kingsley."

Shacklebolt stood and extended his hand. Severus regarded it diffidently before grasping it and shaking it, marveling at how easy it had been to reinsert himself into the world.