A/N: I apologise for the short chapter, my muse abandoned me this chapter. Do enjoy! And I promise I'll get on a nice long Chapter 25

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR - WILMET GARDENS

Severus was shocked. It wasn't something he was used to feeling. He had expected the safe house to be a cabin in the middle of nowhere or a dingy flat in a muggle city. What Severus was not expecting was an estate. It put the Malfoy Manor to shame and he wasn't even inside the grounds yet. Severus had appeared between two gates. The smaller, outer one was clearly warded and full of muggle repelling charms. The inner gate was massive and anything inside it was obviously blocked with anti-apparition charms. The gate was carefully crafted wrought iron and a sign at the top of it read Wilmet Gardens. There didn't seem to be any way to actually open the gates, and Severus took a cautious step towards them. They creaked open, perhaps sensing his magic, and revealed a long gravel road framed by low hedges. On either side of the hedges seemed to be flourishing gardens. Eyebrows raised, Severus started down the road. As he walked, the hedges turned into tall trees and then the trees gave way to reveal a mansion. It was old, but clearly well taken care of, all ancient stonework and creeping vines. At least there wasn't a fountain in the middle of a roundabout. There seemed to be no one around and Severus approached the large double door at the front, which also swung open in greeting.

Severus took a steadying breath when he entered the foyer. There was no escaping the fact that the mansion was still ostentatious but at least the decoration style was manageable. In fact, Severus figured if he was a little more wealthy, this was probably how he would decorate a home. If he had a home he gave a shit about. But the mansion was decorated so similarly to his private quarters at Hogwarts, Severus was a little concerned that Ambrose might have known something he shouldn't have. The table in the entrance way offered a massive bowl of fruit and a piece of parchment with Severus' name scrawled across the front in dramatic cursive. With a huff, Severus took hold of the parchment and unfolded it.

Severus,

I am sure this is not the safe house you were expecting. I apologise for the grandiosity of it all, my husband's family left this to him and we try to avoid the place unless necessary. Hopefully it is as much to your liking as it can be. The west wing is generally where Alistaire and I stay when we are here but the east wing has been set up in the event that you do come here. You will find the master suit on the third floor, a library on the second. There is food in the kitchens under stasis but do not be alarmed if you see others on the grounds. Alistaire prefers to employ muggles over using house elves so we have a groundskeeper and a chef. I promise your presence here is of the utmost secrecy.

Sterling

Severus took another deep breath and tossed the letter back on the table. All he wanted was sleep. Food or anything else for that matter could wait. The foyer vaguely reminded Severus of his own living room, a box that offered no real hint of what lay beyond the walls. But instead of being dark and seeming to miss doors, the opposite end of the room was a glass wall that looked out over the gardens, a chaise lounge perched in the middle. Either wall was decorated with art and in the middle, more double doors. Severus headed straight for the east wing, pushing the doors open and was greeted with the scene he had expected in the foyer: a great curved staircase was to his right, where it seemed the glass wall continued from the foyer, to his left a wide hallway with a cushioned bench next to another door. For a brief moment, Severus was interested in exploring, but then he remembered he had the mansion to himself and turned right for the stairs and went up to the third floor suite, taking note of everything he passed on the way, but waiting to process it until later.

"So that's what's been going on?" Hermione gasped, looking between Harry and Ron.

"Yeah. I mean I thought we should tell you because research but -"

"It's okay Ron, I understand."

"I'm sorry I was suspicious, but it was just…" Harry fiddled a loose thread on the bedspread.

"It was weird, that I was the only one they took. I know. I would have been suspicious too. And you were going through something. I know I've said it before but I'm so sorry I couldn't be there after Sirius- and now -" Hermione stopped herself, if she thought about it too hard the two parts of her would start waring again.

"Anyway, the horcruxes are key, that's how we win."

"What about the prophecy, neither can live while the other survives? That's vague even for a prophecy." At least her prophecy made sense. Mostly. She at least knew what was expected of her.

"Yeah well, that's Trelawney for you, innit?" Ron snorted.

"I'm not going to worry about that until I have to. Hermione, there's more."

"Okay."

Hermione felt guilty as Harry explained his plan to go searching for Horcruxes instead of going back to Hogwarts because he was finally opening up to her. He was finally telling her everything and she couldn't do the same. She wanted to tell him about her time at Severus', that she actually enjoyed it, and that Severus was so wonderfully human. She wanted to tell him that when she went to check, Severus made sure she could poke around in his private quarters. She wanted to confess to all of them that she had fallen in love with him…

"You aren't going without us!" Ron snapped at the end of Harry's explanation.

"Seriously, we are all in this together." Ginny said seriously.

"You've never been able to get rid of us." Hermione confirmed.

Harry tried to protest unsuccessfully for fifteen more minutes before Mrs Weasley called up the stairs for dinner. Ron was out of the room immediately, Harry following after at a more reasonable pace. Hermione stood to join them but was stopped by Ginny's hand on her arm. Hermione glanced forward, watching Harry disappear around the corner and then turned her quizzical gaze on Ginny.

"What is it?"

"I didn't want to say this in front of the boys, especially Harry, but I don't think you should come with us."

Hermione felt a rush of emotions, the foremost being betrayal. "Why?"

Ginny glanced at the door. "You talk in your sleep, Hermione. Either about or to Snape."

The rush came back, this time a pounding of her heart, and an empty terror in her chest. She said nothing, trying to swallow the excuses bubbling up in her throat.

"Except you call him Severus, like a friend. Frankly, I don't care why, not right now anyway, but I do know that Harry doesn't have the space to deal with that and whatever it means. I thought the rumours Lavender was spreading were utter shite, but I've heard it myself now."

"I thought I stopped... I used a silencing spell at Hogwarts, I can do the same while we search."

Ginny seemed to be evaluating something. "And what if you forget one night?"

Hermione wanted to say that she wouldn't, but there was no telling what would happen to them on the run. "It's something I'll need to consider."

"Sure. Just have a real good excuse if you decide to stay."

"Of course."

Hermione had been so close to everything being okay. Harry and Ron were trusting her again, time in the Burrow was no longer awkward. But this was a setback. She wasn't sure why Ginny hadn't told her sooner or why she ever thought she stopped calling for Severus in her sleep. Especially now, when the occasions she craved his company were more frequent than not. When she wanted to know if he was okay, if he was safe. Of course her subconscious would be seeking him out. She waited a long time after Ginny left before descending the stairs. Luckily for her, the Burrow had taken over being a central drifting point for Order members after Sirius's death, and she wasn't the last one to the table to eat. If there was any tension between her and Ginny, no one acknowledged it. The meal passed without incident and by the end of it, Hermione was full and content, but the conversation had not left her mind. Regardless of what she chose to do come the end of the summer, or her reasons why, she needed some kind of sign that Severus hadn't fallen into the wrong hands.

After the table was cleared, Hermione went outside to wonder, and as if drawn to her musings, Remus left Tonks to join her. She didn't mind his quiet company, or the nervous energy that threatened to burst from him in the form of many questions. Hermione wondered if that was what it was like to be around her, at least before the Department of Mysteries. It was nearly dark before Remus burst.

"May I ask you something, Hermione?"

"Of course."

"On the day of the funeral, why were you in Severus' private quarters?"

"I wanted answers, like a few of us do."

"Naturally," Remus chuckled, "though I wasn't expecting your version of getting answers to be quite so invasive."

Hermione smiled and turned her face toward the sunset, toward Remus. "Perhaps not typically. I'm sure you want to know how I was in there."

Remus' lips twitched. "Severus Snape is a private man, and a powerful one, I would be impressed if you cracked his wards."

"He is indeed both things." Hermione heard something in her voice, longing maybe, and tried to change her tone. "As it were, the wards allowed me in."

Hermione had never seen Remus' eyebrows jump so high. He cleared his throat and kicked at a loose stone. There was a beautiful consistency to Remus, that the way he was now, kicking stones with his hands in his pockets, was easy to join with the idea of Professor Lupin, or even the more serious man on Order business. The facets of him didn't leave her questioning everything she knew, and that was how Severus was. Made of complex fragments she wasn't sure fit together.

Eventually Remus commented. "That's… surprising."

They had reached one of the hills near the Burrow, one that overlooked the house and it's surrounding fields, the other hill where the boys and Ginny played quidditch. Hermione found a place to sit and wait. This was Severus' talent she realized, patience and silence always seemed to get him what he wanted. It was her turn to try it. Remus seemed to hesitate before sitting next to her. The sunset spread thin below them, the darkening sky already hinting at a starry night.

"Was it strange, being under the protection of a man like Severus?"

"Yes, of course."

"When Albus told me he did that, I was surprised. Particularly since I could have…"

Hermione scoffed. Dumbledore had never been responsible for how and where she had ended up with Severus. "I suppose he assumed you would be best suited for Harry, and Ron has his family."

"And you'd be the most tolerant of a snarky professor."

Hermione quirked a smile. "But of course."

"I can't imagine all of that time alone with him."

"It was never bad, it was sometimes good, and there was a decent amount I was alone."

"You said he took you to Cokeworth summer before last-"

"After your intervention?"

Remus smiled sheepishly, "Yes. Did you go there again?"

Hermione nodded. "It was strange, his home."

"I can imagine. Were you surprised by what happened?"

"You mean with Dumbledore? Yes, but I think Severus knew it was coming." Hermione ignored Remus' raised eyebrow. "I'm worried about him Remus, he's not a murderer, and this act has put him in a lot of danger."

Remus watched her for a long time. "You want to go look for him."

"I can at least check Spinner's End."

Remus sighed. "Normally I might advise against this, but you are never given enough credit for your stubbornness and I am smart enough to know that something is going on that I'm not privy to. But you do need to be careful, he could truly be dangerous, and even if he is not, there are plenty around him who are."

"Do you think he's truly a Death Eater?"

"Logically, I can't help but to think he is. Our history is long and this action condemns him. But Albus put his faith in him, and clearly you do too."

Hermione felt something powerful in her chest that she couldn't explain. Releasing her breath, she fell into Remus' side and gripped him in a hug. She stood, and without taking the time to explain, smiled and apparated away. Remus would know where she was going, at least he'd know the town. As expected, Hermione found herself in the hedges near Spinner's End, taking caution as she slipped her way up the front steps and through the door. His wards curled around her, not as powerful as before, certainly protective, but only a facade compared to what they used to be.

"Severus?"

The house echoed empty around her and she knew if he was here, he would've been at the door, wand at the ready. The once overwhelmingly full bookshelves were now less than half full. The same could be said for his closet and the basement. Hermione lingered there among the abandoned cauldrons and inexpensive potions ingredients. This was the space that had changed everything, made them equals, driven them forward in the same cause together. Of course, they had so many moments that had changed everything. Hermione took a steadying breath. It was clear he had been here, and so at one point after Albus Dumbledore's death had been alive and well enough to ransack his own home. The relief turned into curiosity. Where would he be now? He did not have friends and as far as she knew, nowhere else to hide.

No. That wasn't true.

Hermione slapped her hands around her pockets, feeling for the piece of parchment, and it was there, squashed into the pocket of her jeans she hadn't dared to wash since the battle. She ripped it from her pocket and scanned the paper again and again and again. By the time the parchment was warm ash piled on the floor, Hermione had the address memorized and was halfway out the door. By some unbearable circumstance that nearly made her believe in fate, Hermione knew exactly where to go. The town itself was quaint perfection, boasting a kind of cosy lifestyle that her parents had been utterly drawn to. They had visited a few sparse times, playing with the idea of retiring there. There had been one time they'd gone on a picnic in the surrounding hills where wealthy families had seasonal homes scattered about. Little Hermione had been so thrilled by the castle she had discovered and had never understood her parents' revulsion towards the 'ruins'. It made sense now though. Any decent wizard who didn't want muggles mulling about in their business would have had muggle repellent wards.

With fierce concentration, Hermione dredged up the picnic spot from her memories, willing every detail out of her ten year old mind. It was a minor miracle she didn't splinch herself again. And there was the castle. It was different than she remembered, no longer frosted over with the fantasies of a child, but it was grand and real, and remarkably it was the place Sterling had told them about. The wall she faced had to be at the back of the building, there was no entrance through the barrier and the building itself seemed to curl away from her. Hermione took off at a run, following the line of the wall, the wards pressingly strongly against her, pure protective power. It felt like she was running forever, and Hermione started to think that part of the warding was that she'd never find a gate. Just as the thought crossed her mind, she found herself standing between two gates, one decaying and old, the other new, large, and fanciful, with Wilmet Gardens across the top. Hermione went to push at the gate, and to her surprise, it opened for her. She walked the path back to the house as fast as she could, not noticing the gardens or the trees, or the way there wasn't a fountain. She hardly noticed that the double door opened for her, her mind dead-set on the possibility of answers on the other side. The foyer gave her pause and her eyes landed on the letter addressed to Severus. She scanned it and glanced around. He had read this, she could tell, his magic seemed to seep through the air.

Hermione turned toward the east wing and pushed through the doors, she took the flight of stairs without thought. Although night, Severus wouldn't be asleep yet and if he was as consistent as always, she guessed he would be reading in the library. It took Hermione an irritably long amount of time to find the library, trying door after door, but when she found it, she almost forgot why she was there. Shelves took up as much room as comfortably possible, stretching toward the vaulted ceiling in an alarming way that only meant magic had to help hold them up. Small, sliding staircases were attached to each bookshelf and the glass ceiling let in the light of the moon and stars. A fire roared in the massive fireplace, backlighting the person standing up from the chair. He was here and he was well, staring at her in a way that she couldn't understand. Hermione took a step toward him.

"Severus." Her voice was breathy, a question and relief all at once.

"Hermione. What are you doing here?" His was professorial, flat. She knew if she could see his eyes better, they'd be guarded, full of occlumency walls.

"I needed to find you."

"Why?"

"I was… worried." Hermione felt silly all of a sudden. Severus was easily one of the most powerful wizards in Britain now.

Something shifted in the room and Severus took a step towards her as well.

"As you can see, I am fine."

The tension in the room was a push and pull, Hermione could feel it deep within her. They both wanted something familiar, something before Dumbledore's death, yet neither were willing to make the first move. A hesitation based on the singular action that had changed wizarding Britain. Hermione's only hesitation was that he may not approve of her search, her concern. But then, that had never really stopped her. She released a sigh and closed the distance for both of them, and in a bold move she hadn't planned on, slipped her arms around Severus' waist and buried her face against his chest. It felt ridiculously intimate. It also felt just plain foolish when Severus didn't return her embrace. Hermione started to pull back, embarrassed but then Severus' arms wrapped around her shoulders. It wasn't exactly a return hug, but it was more than she ever expected from him. They stood like that for a while, until Severus pulled back and sat, Hermione following suit like he had pulled her with him.

"Why are you here?" This time, Hermione heard something different in his voice.

"I had to see you. I wanted to make sure no one got to you."

"Surely an Order member would boast about that accomplishment."

"You've pissed off more than just the Order."

"But not you."

Hermione shrugged. "I can't believe you are a cold hearted killer."

"Despite what others would have you think."

"I think for myself. And there are others with doubts."

Severus raised a sceptical eyebrow. "Do you plan to stay here?"

"I don't think so. Harry is finally opening up to me and I have an important decision to make."

"And what is that"

Hermione smiled ruefully at him. "I don't think I should tell you, for your own safety but apparently the dreams haven't stopped."

"The fire again?"

"I don't think so. But Ginny says I talk to you in my sleep."

"That is dangerous, I am the enemy."

"Yes, I will be careful from now on, but it's a big factor in my choice."

"Does anyone know you came here?"

"Remus knows I'm looking for you. He thinks I'm at Spinner's End."

Another raised eyebrow. "Curious. And what will you tell him?"

Hermione shrugged, "Something vague."

"Have you been keeping up with your occlumency?"

"Yes. And nonverbal and wandless magic."

"Good. You should probably go."

"You're right."

Hermione stood slowly, her eyes locked on Severus. She had no idea when she would see him again, and she wanted to take in every glorious, dark bit of him. The love she had realized choked in her throat. She had to see him again one day, both of them alive and safe. Maybe she would confess it to him then. She reached out and touched his cheek, threaded her fingers in the hair at his temple. She took a shaky breath.

"Be safe." She breathed, and left before the urge to stay with him took over.

…

Severus was surprised by the emptiness that filled the room when Hermione left him. She had been the first person he'd seen that he wanted anything to do with. His surprise that she had bothered to find him and that she didn't hate him went straight to his soul. He tried to reconcile that with how certain he had been that she would never want anything to do with him again. Why did she care? Why had she come? He felt something that might have been hope give warmth to the cold that had surrounded him since that night on the tower. Maybe not all was lost. If she believed him and Remus had his doubts, perhaps Severus could recover from this. If the Dark Lord didn't kill him. And even if he survived, even if he wasn't condemned to life in Azkaban or a dementor's kiss, what would he do with himself? Surely he wouldn't go back to teaching. What would be left for him? The warm glow faded a little.