A/N: This is it, the last chapter of this fic. :D I'm sorry it's taken so long to get it to this point... I'm bad at finding the time to sort out the formatting on these things. I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. If I did, my name would be J.K. Rowling.

Chapter 6 – Epilogue

Hermione poured cold tea down the plug hole, sighing as she realised she'd wasted yet another cup of perfectly good Earl Grey whilst sitting and pondering.

Over the past few weeks she and Severus had slowly begun getting to know one another, making time to eat together, read together and talk, as well as allowing each other time to themselves for reflection and other things. Something that had been particularly important considering that Severus was still housebound and awaiting his trial.

He'd been in more and more frequent meetings with his solicitor over the last few weeks and Hermione knew then that the trial date wouldn't be far away – especially if his irritation and general moods after the meetings were anything to go by.

She'd slowly worked her way through his outer shell over the weeks, learning more about him than most ever would, and coming to love him more than she ever thought possible, but in the last few days he'd been particularly distant. Quiet and reclusive, going to his room at night and not answering if she knocked with offerings of tea.

She had wondered at first if it was the fact that they'd yet to sleep together that was the problem. She hadn't broached the subject, too afraid to, but when she had asked about what the problem was he had always insisted that it wasn't anything to do with their relationship or her. Suffice to say that if it were up to her, they would've passed that marker a long while ago but he was determined that they wait.

It turned out her suspicions about the trial were correct, for she'd woken up that morning to find him absent and a note on the kitchen table.

Hermione,

The trial is today, starting at 8am. Please don't come. I can't explain why, but I'd rather you didn't, however it may turn out.

Whatever happens, remember that I love you.

Severus

Hermione almost cried when she'd read the note later that day at almost noon. That was the first time he'd told her how he felt about her, and it was in a note telling her not to go to his trial.

She made tea and sat thinking about him, the note and other such things for almost three hours now and was getting impatient not to mention increasingly worried about what the outcome could mean. She didn't know how long the trial could take... hell it could take weeks for all she knew. She just wanted to see Severus again, to be sure he was okay.

Leaving the kitchen, she made her way to the library to read some more for work – anything to take her mind off what could be going on. Settling herself on the sofa, she turned to the latest pile of books only to find, again, that 'Temptations and Passions' was on the top of it.

Well... I suppose I may as well, she thought. Picking it up and tucking her feet under her, she put a pillow on her lap and began to read the book from the start for once.

She'd just finished the fourth chapter, when she heard the distinct sound of the Floo coming from another room. Standing up and adjusting her skirt, she quickly left the library and stood in the corridor. "Severus?" she said quietly, heading for the front room, the one most commonly used to Floo in and out of Grimmauld Place.

He wasn't there. She shook her head, chiding herself for obviously imagining things and turned to go back to the library only to be engulfed by black material as she turned.

"Hermione," Severus said into her hair as he clung to her.

She pulled back to look at his face and smiled. "You... you're free?" she asked.

He nodded and she laughed aloud, happier than she could remember for a long while. "Come on," he said, pulling her out of the room and down the corridor towards the kitchen. "Let's get a drink to celebrate."

Hermione followed, holding onto his hand as if he were going to disappear at any moment.

Once he'd seated her at the table he retrieved two wine glasses from the cupboard, opening the wine bottle he'd obviously bought once the trial was over. She watched him in contemplative silence as he poured the wine out, handing her a glass and taking a seat next to her at the table.

Taking a sip, she turned to him and said, "You didn't think you'd come back, did you?"

He drank his wine slowly and, when he'd drunk the last drop in the glass he put it on the table and turned in his chair to face her. "I wasn't sure."

"So... that's why you didn't want me to go? Why we've never..." she trailed off as he nodded an affirmative.

"I didn't want to risk the possibility of hurting you like that," he said softly, taking her free hand in his.

"I don't think I would have seen it that way," she said, her hand tightening around his, "Though I am glad we didn't."

He smiled and leant in to kiss her, licking the last vestiges of wine from her lips before claiming her mouth and making her moan at his enthusiasm.

Pulling back, she put the wine glass on the table and moved to sit astride his legs, his hands holding her hips tightly as she leant in to kiss him. "You know there's no excuse now," she said between kisses.

He murmured his acknowledgement and pulled her closer, his erection pressing into her and making her gasp.

It wasn't the first time she'd become aware of his arousal but it was the first time she knew they'd finally, finally move their relationship to that stage.

Grinding her hips against him, she let out a low moan as he switched his attention to her throat, his hands coming to undo her blouse as he kissed, lipped, and lightly bit at her neck.

"Mmm, oh Gods, Severus," Hermione panted as he palmed a breast and lightly pinched her nipple though her bra before reaching back under her blouse and releasing the catch.

He moved back for a moment, his hands coming to her shoulders and pulling her blouse down and off, before turning his attention to her naked torso and groaning. "Hermione," he whispered, looking up at her lidded eyes, head thrown back in pleasure as he stroked her breasts gently with both hands. "Hermione," he repeated and she opened her eyes to look at him, "You're beautiful, never let anyone tell you otherwise."

Hermione's smile grew and she moved to kiss him, her hands coming up to grasp his hair and stroke the sensitive skin at the base of his neck that she'd found a few weeks before. "I love you," she whispered, realising she'd yet to say it to him.

"I love you, Hermione," he affirmed before quickly standing and lifting her with him, bringing her to sit on the table behind her and pulling momentarily back so he could take off his outer cloak and robe, leaving him in a shirt and trousers.

Coming to stand in between her spread thighs, he tilted her head so he could look into her eyes, and spoke softly, "As foolish and sentimental as this sounds, Hermione, I still can't believe you're here with me."

She didn't reply, instead she acted and pulled his lips to hers, her legs moving to pull him closer to her so she could feel his erection rubbing against her core.

He moaned into her mouth and she moved a hand to the waistband of his trousers, somehow managing to undo the belt with one hand and slip her hand inside to grasp at him.

"Ahh, fuck!" he said, resting his forehead on her shoulder as she gripped him tightly, rubbing her thumb across the head of his cock. His hands moved to her waist and she smiled, kissing the patch of bared throat near her mouth. "Ahh, fuck." He whimpered again as she moved her hand over him, sometimes teasingly, sometimes firming her grip for a moment, undoing the buttons of his trousers with the other hand.

She continued teasing him for a while, until he grasped her wrist and pulled her away, kissing her knuckles before pushing her back to lay on the table.

"You, my dear," he spoke in a tone that sent shivers down her spine, "are a tease."

She nodded and he smirked, his hands sliding up her thighs, under her skirt and to the top of her knickers before sliding down her thighs again, making her frown. "Please," she asked, spreading her legs a little wider.

"Seeing as you ask so nicely," he said, moving his hand up her thigh and slipping it under the edge of her underwear, his fingertips brushing her curls lightly before moving away again.

"Please," she repeated, gasping.

He bent over her, kissing his way up her chest until his lips sealed themselves around a nipple where he lightly licked and bit at it; she moaned, her back arching.

His hands moved up her thighs again, to the top of her underwear and he slowly, agonisingly, began to pull them from her, never stopping his teasing of her nipple with his mouth.

Her knickers discarded somewhere on the kitchen floor, he lifted his head up to kiss Hermione on the mouth before kissing his way down her body and settling himself on his knees, head between her thighs.

"Oh, God," she gasped as his tongue swiftly licked her clit before moving lower and probing her, his groan telling her how much he liked what he was doing. Her head lifted from the table top momentarily, finding herself interested in how he looked doing this to her. Then it hit the table with a thump as he began moving his tongue over her, putting one finger into her gently and touching that spot with unflinching accuracy.

"Ahh!" she yelled, as he stimulated her clitoris and G-spot at the same time, his free hand never moving from her thigh, thumb drawing small circles on her skin.

She peaked quickly, the stimulation too much and he relented, moving his tongue over her, before sliding his fingers out of her slowly and getting to his feet.

Panting, Hermione opened her eyes to take in the sight of Severus Snape licking his fingers clean of her most intimate juices. He smiled as her eyes widened and leant over, kissing her, sharing the taste with her before pulling back and looking at her appraisingly.

"I don't need 'more'?" she asked wryly, bringing his comment from that night in the kitchen back to him.

He laughed, "Oh, I'm sure you do." Moving to take her hand, he pulled her upright so she sat on the edge of the table in just her skirt and shoes.

The prim and proper part of Hermione couldn't help but gasp in horror at what they'd just done in the kitchen, but she ignored it. That's what cleaning charms were for anyway.

Standing, Hermione pulled Severus close to her, holding him tightly. The presence of his erection pushing into her lower belly made her bite her lip in anticipation.

"Upstairs?" she asked shyly, looking at his state of dress compared to hers.

"Indeed," he replied, picking up his cloak and putting it around her shoulders.

As they opened the door to the kitchen and approached the stairs, the sound of the Floo being used in the front room could be heard and Hermione and Severus looked at each other askance.

"Hermione!" Ron yelled loudly, running out of the room and down the corridor towards them blindly. "He's free! Did you hear? Did—holy crap!" he cried as he met them at the bottom of the stairs.

"I heard, Ron," Hermione said, holding back her laughter at the look on his face as he took in their state of undress. She turned towards Severus attempting to hide her chest from Ron's eyes.

"Right," he said, putting his hands in his pockets and turning around. "I'll... um, talk to you later then."

"Okay," Hermione snorted as he walked down the corridor back to the front room.

"Oh, and, Mr Weasley?" Severus said as he disappeared from view.

"Yes?" came the reply, but not Ron himself.

"You might want to stop Potter 'popping by' for... a few days at least. In his own best interests of course."

"Oh... right."

"Bye, Ron," Hermione said as she heard the Floo flare to life. Turning to Severus, she smiled and took his hand, tilting her head in question. "Well, if its days we're talking about, sir, shall we get started?" she said, gesturing to the stairs.

He smirked and grabbed her waist, pulling her in for a kiss, before picking her up and carrying her up the stairs. "Oh, yes."

... ... ... ... ...

THE END.

A/N: I hope you liked the ending - as well as the rest of it. It's been a long while since I wrote this and I must admit I cringe a little when I re-read it. Heehee. If you did like it, please consider leaving a review - they're much appreciated!!