A/N: Thank you for all the follows, favourites and reviews! I love you guys! PhantomBove I am beyond pleased that you found this story binge-able! Unfortunately my other works are not so well done ha ha... But that does bring me to my first announcement:
1) I am going through and thoroughly revising Impossible Places and Dangerous Truths, and once each story has been completely edited and updated I will repost the stories in full! After realising IELB has turned into a bigger passion project than I ever imagined, I knew I had to give my old stories a little more love.
2) I finally got into AO3 so I will be posting there as well as here, mostly so my stories are backed up somewhere public. You can find me on there as Jarmitage as well :) {also as soon as I have invites available I will let you guys know in case anyone needs an in}
3) I really want to be more involved with the fanfiction community as a whole so I created a discord server that anyone is welcome to join, regardless of fandom so invite your fave authors, your betas, etc, so we can write, read, recommend all in one cool place!: https: double forward slash discord dot gg forward slash RFj7acDPbz
Okay, I'm done XD enjoy!
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN - A PLACE FOR US
Surviving the first term in a school under Death Eater control was nothing short of its own war. The Carrows were indeed cruel and Filch seemed to take advantage of the looser reign over student punishments. Severus did his best to maintain a balance, but it wasn't easy. The school banded against him much in the same way as they had banded against Umbridge, except this time Severus had the castle behind him and Hermione by his side. News of Harry's quest reached them only when he and the two Weasleys raided the ministry. It wasn't long after that Neville and Luna tried to steal the sword of Gryffindor from Severus' office, and in a desperate attempt to save both parties, Hermione joined, trying to keep the two from hexing Severus and vice versa. It had ended in a loss and a good argument with Severus about her not making things more difficult than they had to be. Other than that, Severus and Hermione got along well, each other's secret, stoic stalwarts. Hermione made her way to the reading nook hidden in his office whenever she got the chance. Sometimes they would talk and sometimes they would read. Severus did his best to tell her what he could of Death Eater plans and Hermione did her best to convey the sentiments of the student body. Severus almost lost his temper when she told him the DA had been re-established, but she had promised him that most of the effort was going into protecting younger students and muggle borns, even a few Slytherins who weren't too keen on what was happening. She had done her best to focus the group on protection and teaching themselves like they had done two years ago, which was good for the student body but also meant less stress for Severus since the number of students he had to keep alive after they attacked the Carrows had decreased dramatically. There were still incidents, but not as many as there could have been.
Generally, they all survived until the Christmas break, but Hermione had a feeling fewer students would be returning for second term, and those who did return weren't going to come out of this year the same. It was dark and difficult and exhausting, and academics had never meant so little to anyone, including Hermione. With two days left in the term, Hermione was packed but unsure where to go. She didn't want to return to the Burrow and imposing herself on Remus and Tonks again felt like a bad idea. There was only one other option, and while Hermione knew that she had to tell Severus. It was incredibly late that night as she snuck to the headmaster's office, but Severus was awake as he always was, pacing. She whispered the password to the office and ascended the stairs, worrying the edge of her jumper between her fingers. Hermione crossed the threshold and Severus' pacing jerked to a stop.
"Hermione."
"Hi."
"What are you doing here so late?"
"I couldn't sleep and I wanted to talk to you."
Severus gestured toward the dark corner where the hidden sitting room waited for them, and she followed him to the couch. There was a pot of tea under stasis on the table and Hermione offered him a wry smile.
"Expecting company?" She teased.
"Well, I never know when you're going to show up, do I?"
Hermione huffed and poured them tea. They each leaned back on an arm of the couch and watched each other, sipping tea. Eventually, Hermione set her half drank cup down and leaned toward Severus.
"I'm not sure what you were planning to do over the hols but erm, I don't really have a lot of options and I'd like to stay at Wilmet Gardens since I'm guessing Spinner's End isn't an option." She said the last bit a little rushed and looked down at her fingers.
"I suppose we will be spending another Christmas together then."
Hermione turned her face towards him and smiled. "You don't mind?"
Severus shrugged one shoulder, "Wilmet is rather large, and I would not mind the company this time around."
"Good."
They finished their tea and Severus escorted her back to Gryffindor common room. The next day was spent in a flurry for both of them, Severus doing his best to keep an eye on the Carrows and make sure they didn't get into any last minute trouble. Hermione, Neville, Luna and others were doing their best to keep the young ones and the defected Slytherins out of harm's way as they packed and gathered their things, reconvening in the Room of Requirement. In the morning, there was a mad rush for the trains and for once it seemed like not a single student would be staying at Hogwarts for the holiday. Even those who didn't have families to return to, found somewhere to go and Hermione was certain many of those students wouldn't be coming back. Hermione left before Severus, watching his black figure grow smaller as the train rushed away. This time tomorrow he would be arriving at Wilmet, and all would be well. At least for a little.
…
Severus gathered the few things he wanted from his quarters at Hogwarts, mostly books and a few other important items. When he was packed, he went into the office and leaned against the desk, looking up at the portrait of Albus Dumbledore, who, per usual, was feigning sleep. Out of the corner of his eye Severus noticed Phineas Black slip into his frame. After a few moments, Albus blinked himself 'awake' and smiled down at Severus. Severus did not smile back.
"What is your plan while I am not here?" Severus snarled.
"I think it is about time for you to impart our gift on Harry."
Severus' eyes darted to the sword of Gryffindor. "How will I know?"
"I have a desk portrait in the storage closet in the headmaster's quarters, I will be able to continue informing you as I have been." Phineas said from his frame.
Severus nodded once to the man, jutted his wand out to one side and summoned the small portrait from wherever it was buried. He heard sounds coming from the storage closet and turned his attention back to Albus.
"As for timing, well, that's up to your instinct now." Albus' lips curved in a benevolent way Severus didn't like.
"And if I chose wrong?"
"I have no concerns about that, m'boy."
Severus scoffed and caught the small portrait of Phineas as it sailed at him, it was hardly larger than his hand and he rolled his eyes. "Did you keep this on your desk so you could look at yourself, Black?"
"Having a portrait of yourself while you are still alive is very useful."
"I will take your word for it."
Severus walked away from the portraits and back into the private quarters. He wrapped the small frame in a cravat to keep Phineas from spying and tossed it in his trunk. Cautiously, he lifted the sword of Gryffindor from its stand and lowered it into his trunk. He closed, locked, and shrank it, tucking the trunk into a pocket of his robes and left the office, descending the flights of stairs to the grounds. The castle shuddered slightly behind him, magic locking the suddenly empty castle. Severus continued onward, across the grounds to the gate, and finally to the apparition point. He popped around several random places before landing between the two gates of Wilmet Gardens. Anticipation clenched at his stomach, it was one thing to return to an empty manor for two months, and another thing entirely to know that somewhere inside, Hermione was waiting for him. It felt like his new normal, a baseline for expectations that whatever house he was locked away in, Hermione would be there too. It was strange, at yet less so than it had been when he had first dragged her to Spinner's End.
The manor was quiet, the last colours of the sunrise fading into bright daylight through the glass wall of the foyer. Severus slipped his eyes from the view and turned into the east wing, straining for any sound of his company or the muggle care takers, but the manor was silent. Severus started up the stairs, wondering which room she had chosen, peaking into the library just in case. He got to the top floor, took out his trunk and returned it to normal size, putting it at the foot of the bed in the suite. As soon as it tapped down on the floor, Severus knew which room she had chosen. It felt stupid and ridiculous to him, but if he had a suite to himself, why shouldn't she? Severus left his room and walked down the hall, away from the stairs to the only other door on this floor. It was cracked slightly, and he peeked through. As he suspected, Hermione was resting in the bed in the bride's suit, laying on her stomach with one knee bent and out of the covers and her hair a splayed wild mess on the pillow. Satisfied that she had arrived safely, Severus turned and went back to the main floor. He wound his way to the east wing kitchen and started tea and searched through the cabinets and fridge for anything the cook might have left behind. A tray of croissants was tucked away under a domed lid and a collection of homemade marmalades took up one of the shelves on the door of the refrigerator. Severus pulled them all out and set them on the island counter.
The tea had just finished steeping properly when Severus heard the shuffle of feet and he watched out of the corner of his eyes as Hermione entered the kitchen, plopped into one of the bar stools and balanced her chin unsteadily in her hands.
"Good morning." She yawned.
"Good morning."
"Did you -?" Hermione squirted her eyes at the croissants.
Severus pinched his lips against a smile and raised an eyebrow at her.
"Right. You don't cook."
"No, but lucky for us Sterling and his husband have a chef."
"That is very lucky for us."
Hermione reached for the teacup he offered her like a sleepy cat stretching in the sunlight, coiling its warmth back against her chest as she inhaled the steam.
"You're a life saver," she groaned, "Thank you."
"I thought you were much more of a morning person."
"Yes, but I couldn't sleep last night. I kept worrying about… well everything really."
Severus nodded and got them plates for the croissants. "That is reasonable with all that we are experiencing."
"Have you heard anything about Harry?"
Severus considered whether or not he should tell her anything, but then again, she had been the one to pack the bag she had sent with them, so she must have been the one to put in Phineas' portrait. He spread marmalade on a piece of his croissant and took a bite before answering.
"Mr Weasley left the group upset. I imagine he is sitting pretty in the Burrow right about now."
Hermione's mouth popped open. "That git."
"Quite. The other two are fine as far as I know."
"How do you know any of this?"
Severus raised an eyebrow. "Phineas Black has more than one portrait."
"He's been spying for you."
Severus nodded once.
"I think under normal circumstances I'd be put off by the breach of privacy, but this is war and you are a spy." Hermione turned a corner of her mouth up at him.
He liked the way she did that, casually inserting the serious into a conversation without bringing the mood down. Severus imagined it was a skill she had to have picked up dealing with the delicate feelings of Potter and Weasley. They finished their breakfast with a bit of casual chatter, trying to figure out what to do when they had this whole manor to themselves. Severus got the feeling he could have said he'd be skinning flobberworms and Hermione would have joined him. Her willingness to be in his presence seemed to have increased to a desire to be in his presence, and it made him uneasy. They couldn't break their bond, but they had never discussed the alternatives. Of course, there was really only one option: when everything was all over they would have to go their separate ways. The 'always unfulfilled' nonsense Sterling had told them about was surely better than Hermione having to spend the rest of her life with someone like him. Past lives be damned, this time they were not completing it.
…
Several days passed with ease, and once again they found themselves in a bubble all to themselves. Their companionship was routine at this point, but with more space afforded to them, their routine evolved. Sometimes the evenings found Hermione walking the gardens while Severus toiled over headmaster business or in the afternoons Hermione cooked while Severus scoured the library, though for what Hermione wasn't sure. He only seemed to specifically search for something when he knew she would be otherwise occupied, and while she was curious, Hermione couldn't convince herself to invade his privacy to find out what the topic was. Christmas eve dawned deliciously bright and the half-hearted snowfall Wilmet Gardens had been receiving had turned into a full snow storm during the night and the grounds were covered in a thick layer of clean, sparkling white. Immensely pleased, Hermione didn't bother to change out of her pyjamas, simply pulling a jumper over her shirt and shoving her feet in extra fuzzy socks before putting on her slippers.
Severus had yet to appear out of his suite yet, so Hermione busied herself with making hot chocolate and baking biscuits. She was flipping through the pages of the green journal while the biscuits baked when Severus appeared in the kitchen. He too seemed to have given up on his outfit of infinite buttons for the day, appearing in loose black flannels and a long-sleeved black shirt that fit a little too well against his body. Hermione looked away with a snort of amusement, hoping to disguise the rush of blood to her cheeks.
"You even sleep in black?"
"Obviously."
"I would've pegged you for green, or even grey."
"And you would have been wrong."
"Obviously." She grinned and pushed a mug of hot chocolate towards him.
"This appears to be your holiday drink of choice."
"I enjoy the cosy things in life."
Severus inhaled sharply through his nose but took a sip of the hot chocolate. When the timer beeped loudly at them, Severus was the one to fetch the biscuits and turn the oven off. He turned around and leaned on the counter, the mug held loosely in one of his hands.
"I was thinking we could go into the village today. We would need disguises of course, but as far as I am aware, there is low Death Eater activity here."
Hermione stared at him a moment and then grinned again. "Is this an early Christmas present?"
"If you chose to see it that way. Personally, I need to see something outside of these walls."
"You do know there are extensive gardens -"
Severus gave her a glare and she cut her teasing short.
"That sounds wonderful. Should we go in the afternoon?"
Severus nodded.
Hermione cast a gentle cooling charm on the biscuits, slid them all onto a plate and left the kitchen, making her way back to the stairs.
"Please do not tell me you are taking that whole plate back to bed." Severus called after her.
"The library. Come join me."
Hermione had never invited Severus to join her anywhere, they had always just sort of moved around each other naturally, like they were communicating without trying. The directness of the invitation sent a small chill up her spine and her heartbeat quickened as she heard the thudding of his feet as he followed her up the stairs. Hermione placed the plate of biscuits and her mug on the table before wandering through the shelves to find a book. Much to her relief, she had found Sterling and Alistaire's collection of muggle literature to be almost as extensive as their wizarding one. Hidden in a corner near the end of one of the shelves, Hermione pulled out Stoner, guffawed at the blurb on the back and carried it to the couch. Severus appeared from the shelves a moment later with his own book and took his place on the couch. Per their usual, Hermione tucked her toes under Severus' thigh and got lost in her book, nibbling on biscuits occasionally. Hermione was halfway through her book when Severus' hand dropped down and curved around her ankle. It was perfectly casual, but her heart hammered in her chest and she pretended not to stare.
…
Severus didn't even think about it. The gap between the bottom of her pyjama pants and the top of her ridiculous fuzzy sock was oddly tempting, and before he really weighed the decision, he was covering the skin of her ankle with his hand. It was casual, hardly a movement to be noted, but such a tiny thing was powerful. He could feel the increased rate of her breathing and the stillness of her surprise. He knew if he removed his hand so soon, it would draw more attention to the awkwardness of it all. So, he remained as he was until enough time had passed that grabbing a biscuit from the plate was a good enough excuse to let go of her. But when he had finished the biscuit, he found himself returning his hand to her ankle and breathed easier when she didn't react this time.
When Hermione stretched and put her book back on the shelf, Severus followed suit. They walked together up the stairs to the top floor, discussing when to leave for their outing and then went their separate ways into their respective suites. Severus disrobed and went straight for the shower, turning the knobs and standing in front of the sink, waiting for the water to heat. His reflection stared back at him, sallow skin, lank hair, soulless eyes. Scars were scattered across his torso and the Dark Mark stood out in violent contrast against the rest of his body. There was nothing appealing about him, there never really had been as far as he was concerned, but his appearance had stopped mattering to him long ago. It didn't matter if he was attractive or revolting, so long as his presence commanded a room and his ruses against the Dark Lord and his followers held. But he couldn't help but wonder what Hermione had thought the first time she had figured out what they were. Had she been revolted with the realisation that she was bound to him? Had she accepted her fate with stoic resignation? At the time, that had been easy to imagine. However, the Hermione that he had gotten to know didn't seem like a person who would react either of those ways. It was clear she enjoyed whatever time she had with him, and she had sought him out more than once when there were alternatives, or she didn't have to. Some small fragment of him thought that maybe this meant there was hope, for him or for them he wasn't even sure, and he didn't plan to figure it out.
After his shower, Severus got dressed and found himself staring in the mirror again. He had never thought of it before, but the entirety of his clothing aged him decades and he looked a lot more weathered than his thirty-seven years. His jaw clenched and his lips pinched as he thought of a glamour. What normally felt like a warm wash of magic ebbed from his centre in wrathful waves and when the magic was done, he was someone else. They were small changes, but enough. His face was outlined with a thick, well-trimmed beard that he would never grow on his own visage; his lips were thinner and straight, the soft bow shape he had always despised gone and when they pulled back they revealed straight, perfect teeth. While his nose was still distinct it was thinner, sharper, losing some of its aquiline hooked appearance; where black eyes had glared out from black lashes, steely blue eyes now glinted back from between dark brown lashes. His eyebrows maintained the same sharp arch but were also lighter, his hair was thicker and shorter, shaped perfectly away from his face. His shirt had evolved into a deep, rich green and his robes and frock coat melded into a rather nice wool long coat that reached the back of his knees.
Severus turned sharply on his heel and out of the suit, down the hall to Hermione' door. He considered a moment then knocked lightly on the door.
"Come along, Hermione, you still need a glamour."
There were loud shuffling sounds and then the door opened. Severus stared confusedly at the woman in the doorway before he realized Hermione had done the glamour herself. Her still curly hair was piled away from her face in a low chignon but was as black as his usually was. Her features were sharper, all jawline and cheekbones and an authoritative chin. Her soft honey eyes were now a sharp green crackling with wit. Her muggle outfit was nicer and more mature than she usually wore, her body taller and leaner. She cleared her throat uncomfortably.
"I was unaware you could do that yourself."
"I've been keeping up with practicing more difficult magic."
"I can see. Are you ready?"
"Yes."
Being in the village was refreshing, although both of them remained on edge and alert for any trouble. They ate lunch together, which felt rather strange with both of them looking like someone else, and after a stroll through the central park, they went their own ways. Severus had a feeling Hermione was on a mission to make them a magical Christmas and he thought it best to leave her to it. While Severus was on no mission, he did have a desire to cooperate with Hermione's enthusiasm and so as he wandered the shops, he kept an eye out for anything that might be a suitable gift for her. It was hard to know, as he was unaware of the extent of her winter wardrobe or if she liked trinkets of any kind or if she was simply in need of anything. It felt silly to buy Christmas gifts, he couldn't even remember the last time that he had, but particularly in the depths of war. Eventually Severus found a few things, and a few things found him, and he returned to the bistro he and Hermione had agreed to meet at. She was perched on one of the barstools looking strangely elegant, a pile of bags at her feet. She greeted him with a large smile he thought he might have liked better if it looked more like her smile.
"Were you successful in your endeavours?" He asked as he slipped into a stool beside her.
"Extremely! What about you?" She eyed him, no doubt curious about his empty hands.
"Successful enough. Shall we?"
Hermione nodded and slid off the stool, grasping her bags in her hands. They started the long walk back up to Wilmet Gardens and somewhere along the way, Severus found himself pointing out that she could just shrink the bags, so she didn't have to carry them. She had laughed, embarrassed at momentarily forgetting she was a witch. Once her hands were free, Hermione flexed her bare fingers several times before hooking her hand into Severus' elbow. He thought he should have been more surprised. Perhaps if it was anyone but her. They walked the rest of the way like that, and Severus could feel their shifts in magic as their glamours faded. He immediately felt more comfortable with the real Hermione beside him.
"I can cook tonight while you…" Severus motioned vaguely around them.
Hermione raised her eyebrows at him. "But you can't cook."
"I can follow instructions, Hermione."
A glint of humour in her eyes, Hermione returned her bags to their normal size and handed him just less than half of the bags. "I bought a lot of groceries since I wanted to make things we don't have ingredients for."
Severus raised an eyebrow at her and turned away, heading towards the east wing kitchens. Tucked up in one of the higher cabinets, Severus pulled out a cookbook he had squirrelled away from the library. Pulling off his cloak and frock coat, Severus rolled up his sleeves and got to work. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but when he emerged, it was clear Hermione had done her decorating. Low lit fairy lights decorated the halls and twisted up the banister of the stairs, mistletoe berries lined the edges of ceilings, and fake snow fell over the threshold of doorways. Severus went directly for the library and found what he suspected: a decorated tree sitting boastfully across from the fireplace, wrapped packages already at the base.
"Was this what you were trying to do at Spinner's End?"
"Yes, but I felt much less inclined to impose there."
"I see." Severus glanced down at Hermione where she looked up at him from the couch. "Mistletoe though, really?"
She blushed furiously. "I didn't mean anything by it, they're just pretty."
"Indeed. Dinner is ready."
Severus turned away from the couch. He shouldn't have mentioned the mistletoe, but when he thought about complimenting her decorations, the inquiry came out instead. He strode to the kitchens and immediately went about setting up the dishes on the dining table, blocking out his embarrassment with occlusion. Hermione arrived shortly after him, helping him to finish the set up. She positively loved every bite she took and made sure Severus knew.
…
Christmas day dawned with heavy clouds and a weighty silence all around. Severus and Hermione both emerged late in the morning still in their pyjamas, brewed tea in companionable silence and padded up to the library. They folded onto the couch and Hermione took a breath, starting a fire in the fireplace with a flick of her fingers. She smiled proudly at Severus when he raised an eyebrow at her.
"We should really set up a table in here to make tea. We walk up and down those stairs far too much."
Severus slipped his wand from his sleeve and waved it towards a corner of the room near the fireplace. After plenty of rattle noises from objects being summoned and a few shudders of transfiguration, a two-tier table sat in the corner with a kettle and mugs on top and a massive collection of teas as well as cream and sugar on bottom.
"Happy Christmas." Severus mumbled. "We'll have to heat the water magically."
Hermione beamed at him. "Thank you."
It was a good Christmas all in all, Hermione decided. Severus had even gotten her gifts, which he was very uncomfortable about being thanked for. The most exquisite of which was a silver necklace with a small green peridot at the end. Hermione had been shocked and Severus had to explain how that particular purchase had definitely been the fault of the pull. He had seemed pleased with the scarf she made him amongst his other gifts. They had spent the rest of the day in the library, surrounded by torn wrapping paper, making tea and summoning baked goods from the kitchen. As Hermione started to nod off on the couch later in the night, she had the thought that she knew exactly what memory she would be using for future patronuses.