A/N: I was listening to an absolutely beautiful cover of Rainbow by Kacey Musgraves sung by phoebe sings on YouTube and this lyric (the title) just struck me as a representation of how Hermione might see Severus compared to how others see him and inspired me to write this fic. I'd highly recommend listening to it- I'll leave a link at the end.

I feel like this short, fluffy fic is somewhat of a love letter of Hermione's thoughts of Severus. Reading it back though, I also feel like I'm slightly poking fun at some common tropes fanfic authors use when describing Snape's qualities (voice, hands, etc). Not at all in a mean-spirited way though- I love all of those qualities myself! I hope you enjoy the story and please leave a review!


After dinner, when they had settled down by the fire for an evening of reading, Hermione took the chance to observe her husband. Severus was in a rare state of complete repose- usually he was alert and aware, but after spending so much time together, her company was one he could truly relax in. He sat in his favorite armchair while Hermione took the couch. Severus held a book in one hand and a tumbler of Muggle whiskey in another. Every so often, he would wave the glass slightly and cast a bit of wandless, wordless magic to turn the page. She loved these casual displays of his magic. His posture was relaxed and his face peaceful, though the dark eyes she loved so much moved across the page with intensity.

Hermione admired Severus' hair, the strands of which had been called greasy by hundreds of Hogwarts students. In actuality, they were only somewhat oily when he had been brewing for long periods of time and he always cast a cleansing charm or took a shower if it got especially bad. After the war, Severus had grown his hair out enough to tie it back from his face. As he had told Hermione, he had been forced to play the role of evil Potions professor, so he had intentionally kept his hair at a length where it would be able to cover his face and thus hide his expressions.

She loved his nose. Severus still felt slightly self-conscious about it, but she thought it made him look rather distinguished and certainly quite intimidating. While Hermione had been at Hogwarts, she had always thought of his nose as more of an eagle's beak than the hooked monstrosity others called it. She loved to kiss the bridge of his nose, especially since doing so would cause the corners of his mouth to curve into a small smile. Hermione certainly adored his mouth- it could say such wondrous words and do such wicked things.

Severus' dark eyes were a feature she could not help but admire. They were almost coal-black and sometimes looked nearly fathomless. But they could shine with happiness, and when Hermione and her husband were out in public, she could often detect a flicker of amusement. Severus' voice was a feature admired by her and many others. It was deep, deeper than anyone she knew, and had a quality to it that was unmistakable. It was smooth, like rich silk, and could wash over you and leave you shivering- in both despair or arousal.

And his hands, oh his hands. Hermione had never thought a man's hands could be sexy or even an attractive feature, but Severus' certainly were. With his long fingers and inherent grace, even watching the man chop and dice potions ingredients was mesmerizing. He could slice them into perfectly even pieces, with methodical skill that he applied in other areas just as well. Hermione blushed slightly and adjusted her position on the couch.

Hermione soon sank back into her reverie. She still sometimes couldn't believe she had been so lucky to gain him as part of her life. She had spent the years after the war finishing her education, gaining her mastery, and doing some travelling to far off countries. In one such place, she had come across Severus, who had survived Nagini's bite thanks to the antidote he had brewed after Mr. Weasley had been bitten. He had been rather disagreeable and unapproachable when she had met him then, and was still the former on occasion, but as Hermione had gotten to know him outside of the classroom, she learned the kind of person he really was.

Severus was brave, there was no doubt about it. Not brash, Gryffindor bravery, but a quieter kind of bravery, the kind that continued for years and often went unacknowledged. He was incredibly clever, matching Hermione's wit and engaging her in countless debates. He also had a very dry sense of humor, making comments that might sound innocuous to some but were actually side-splittingly funny. Severus was the kind of person Hermione had always imagined she'd spend her life with, someone intelligent and mature, though she hadn't imagined someone quite so much older than her as him.

His age had been a major argument Harry, Ron, and Ginny had had against him. In the beginning, they had all argued that Hermione should date someone her own age, but Harry and Ron eventually conceded the point and Ginny had admitted that she always suspected Hermione might end up with an older man. None of them still quite understood what she saw in Severus. Hermione often thought that if they could just see Severus the way she saw him, they'd be amazed at the person he was- brave, fiercely loving, and willing to help her get through her memories of the war even as he fought his.

She was disrupted by the object of her thoughts.

"Shall we go to bed, Hermione?" Severus nearly purred.

Hermione smiled.

"I would love to, my dear."

An Extinguishing Charm put out the fire, a wave of Severus' hand snuffed the candles, and the two lovers went hand in hand up the stairs to bed.


A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review- I'd really appreciate it. Here's a link to the cover of Rainbow I was talking about (just delete the spaces)

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P.S. I also wanted to thank everyone for the reception of my first ever fanfic! I really appreciated the lovely reviews and hope you liked this short fic just as much, even though it took me a bit to get it finished and up.