Disclaimer:- I neither earn nor own anything from this story except my plot. Harry Potter and his world are the intellectual property of JK Rowling and her associates.

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A/N:- Thank you to you all for your reviews and alerts. I appreciate every one of them. Also thank you to LadyWinterlight for her beta work this chapter. I have edited only one scene in this chapter from the original slightly, to remain within the M rating of this site. As usual, the entire text is available at AO3.

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Chapter Eleven – Parts of What Happened

"Do you know that I noticed something that Alice has never done before this morning," Hermione said as the three of them sat at the kitchen table to feed Alice her dinner.

"Indeed. What was that?" Severus replied, taking a mouthful of tea from his cup as he watched Hermione helping Alice finish her evening meal.

"She defied me… hands on her hips, her father's scowl on her face, the works," Hermione chuckled.

Severus' eyebrows shot up. "Did she indeed?" he stated around his proud smile. "How lovely."

Hermione returned his smile. "Yes, I thought you'd like to know," she replied. Then she turned to the still grumpy toddler and her smile grew. "You're becoming daddy's little girl, aren't you, Baby?" she crooned to her.

Alice smiled despite her tiredness, and looked to Severus. "Daddy," she said deliberately, holding out a potato covered hand to Severus.

She was still very capable of making an amazing mess with her food, even if she was almost three, but Severus didn't seem to notice as an unabashed grin lit his face. "My Alice," he whispered, his voice choked with emotion. "My little daughter."

Hermione watched the scene with tears in her eyes. How could she have ever doubted that this was the right place for them to be? When she thought back to their first arrival, she shuddered in embarrassment at the things she'd said to Severus.

They were sitting opposite one another with Alice in between; Hermione watched him gently dealing with their tired toddler, and she was overwhelmed with remorse for what she'd said. "I'm so sorry, Severus," she blurted suddenly.

Severus' eyes snapped to hers, unexpectedly uncertain. "What are you sorry about?"

Hermione saw panic entering his face, and she moved swiftly to appease it. She reached across the table and grabbed his hand as it hovered in thin air in shock at her passionate declaration. "I'm sorry about ever doubting that this was the perfect place for us," she stated, her lip quivering slightly as her mind tried to circumvent her emotions. "I s-said some awful things to you that first day, just after Christmas when we arrived."

Severus had been wiping Alice's potato covered hands when Hermione had spoken. "You were not to know any different, love," he told her, lifting Alice from her high chair.

"No I wasn't, but I still feel awful for having said what I said," Hermione insisted.

Walking around the table to reach her, Severus pulled her to him with his free arm. "And you are unreservedly forgiven for them," he told her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Now, come upstairs, I have a surprise for you both."

"You have?" Hermione asked. "When have you had time to prepare a surprise?" she asked, slinging an arm around his waist as they started to walk towards the stairs.

"I have been working on this surprise for longer than you think." He glanced at Hermione as they started up the stairs. "The rooms you and Alice have been staying in are guest rooms, but with your permission, now that we are a family, I thought that something more permanent might be in order."

They alighted from the stairs and started up the long corridor that contained their bedrooms as Hermione smiled and squeezed him around the waist. "Yes, I would like that," was all she said as she nodded in encouragement seeing him about to say more.

"I'm pleased to hear it," he chuckled, and extended his hand to open a door on the other side of the hallway from where they'd been staying. "This is my surprise," and he opened the door.

Before her was the loveliest little girl's room that Hermione had ever seen. "Oh, Severus," she gasped. "It's perfect," she said, taking a step into the room that was pleasantly decorated in white, grey, and pink. She turned to Alice. "What do you think, love?" she asked. "Would you like this as your room?"

Alice smiled and nodded, but then rubbed her eyes and cried. She was tired and all she needed was to sleep, but of course, she didn't realise that.

"It's okay, sweetie," Hermione encouraged. "You're a tired little girl, come on and we'll get you ready for bed," she said, holding out her hands.

"No, Daddy!" Alice cried. "I wants Daddy," she demanded in a shrill voice.

"Daddy will not want to bathe a naughty girl, Alice Snape," Hermione warned, but it had little effect.

"It's all right, love," Severus told Hermione, as a thrill went through him when Hermione called Alice by her new name. He held his crying daughter. "Mummy's correct, you are very tired, my girl. Shall we play with some bubbles while we bathe you?"

"Yes," Alice cried in the put-upon way of a toddler who is beyond reason, burying her head in the crook of Severus' neck.

"Mummy can help us," Severus stated.

"Otay, Daddy," Alice agreed, as more tears rolled down her cheeks as a huge yawn escaped her.

Hermione smiled. "You get her into the bath, and I'll organise her pyjamas and her bottle."

"Deal," Severus said, turning towards the bathroom in a sort of daze. He suddenly felt like this was his baptism by fire as a true father, and he realised that not only were huge shifts happening inside little Alice, but there were equally huge changes occurring in him too. Just now when Alice cried, he'd have moved heaven and earth to grant what she'd wanted. He realised that Alice was not a naughty manipulative child, she was just tired, and this was why he hadn't chastised her for her temper.

They walked up to the bathroom door, and Severus had the water filling the tub in an instant. He placed Alice on the floor and removed his coat and rolled up his sleeves. "You choose what you'd like to play with," he said, seeing that Shotsie had already placed the box of bath toys next to the bath.

This took Alice's attention, and by the time she'd plonked several toys into the bath, it was ready for her, and she was already undressing herself to hop in.

Using a spell, Severus tied his hair back, and then lifted Alice into the bath. He carefully washed her, revelling in his task. "Hold your head back, love," he encouraged as he trickled water over her head to wash off the shampoo and then the conditioner.

Hermione arrived back in the doorway just in time to see Severus taken by surprise when Alice slapped the water excitedly on seeing the blue bubbles she'd asked him to produce.

He coughed as soapy water went in his mouth, and Hermione smiled. "Now you're a true father," she told him, holding a towel out as he lifted the dripping Alice out and onto the mat. Picking Alice up in the big towel, she smiled at Severus. "You look adorable," she said, as a water droplet dripped off his aquiline nose, and she went up on tip-toes and kissed him. "Come on, Madam, let's get you into your pyjamas," she said to Alice.

"Daddy funny," Alice chortled, but then another yawn broke over her, and her thumb went into her mouth. "I tireded, Mummy."

"I know, Baby," Hermione said, kissing her wet head. "We'll get you dry and into bed."

Severus stood on the threshold of the door, watching as Hermione used a gentle drying spell on Alice's raven locks as she rubbed her dry with the towel. She then powdered her and put her in an overnight nappy and her warm fleece pyjamas. She tucked her into bed and handed her the milk she'd had under a stasis charm, before stroking her cheek and starting to tell her a story.

"Once upon a time, there was a special little girl who lived in a beautiful castle with her mother. They were happy in their castle, but they were lonely. One day the queen of the castle took them to visit a kind man who was just as lonely…" However, it was only a matter of moments and Alice's tired eyes closed as she drank her warm milk.

Hermione watched until she stopped sucking the bottle and she gently removed it and whispered a teeth cleaning spell. "Good night, my angel, I love you," she said, and smiled as she turned and saw Severus still watching with a lazy smile on his face.

She walked over to him and was instantly admitted into his arms. "And I was lonely too," he whispered into her hair.

Hermione pulled back enough to smile at him. "We're good together."

"Yes we are," he agreed as he set the spells that would alert them if Alice woke or needed them for anything and he kissed the top of Hermione's head. "I believe we might just have time for a shower before Draco gets here. In our private bathroom."

"I've never been in your room," Hermione replied.

Severus looked down at her lovely eyes looking up at him and he saw awe on her face. He smiled, "Your place is beside me," he answered.

"Proudly beside you, Severus," Hermione replied, adding the wards on top of Severus' that she normally placed on Alice's room while she slept. It meant that only she, Severus, Minerva, Blotchy or Shotsie could enter the room, and it gave her peace of mind as they made their way towards Severus' room. Then she thought of something that was concerning her. "I haven't seen Blotchy recently."

Severus nodded. "Blotchy is a very old elf, and he's not been well these last few weeks. He hasn't strayed far from his nest."

"Oh dear," Hermione replied. "Is there anything that he needs?"

The side of Severus' lips ticked up at her concern. "No, he has everything he needs, and Shotsie is taking good care of him."

Hermione smiled at Severus as they reached his—their—bedroom door. She had to admit that she was nervous, although she couldn't understand why she was. She inhaled a shaky breath as Severus opened it. This was his private domain, and he was admitting her to it.

Severus extended his hand indicating for her to walk in. "I haven't had Shotsie move any of your things yet," he told her, "but I am hoping that you will wish to share this suite with me."

Passing over the threshold, Hermione looked around. The room was large and tastefully decorated.

Closing the door as he entered, Severus embraced her. "Coming back here alone after your cure, some weeks back, numbers amongst the hardest things I have ever done. I had quickly become accustomed to being with you."

Hermione smiled softly, as she knew many of the hardest things this man had done. "I also missed you intensely," she admitted, turning to be back in his arms. "I would love to share this space with you, Severus," she murmured, gazing up at him from within the circle of his arms.

His lips twitched and his head started to lower to hers. "Thank you," he breathed just as their lips met.

However, this was when fate conspired once more to rob them of their time together, as Shotsie knocked on the door.

"Yes?" Severus asked, having trouble keeping his irritation at the interruption out of his voice.

"Master, there is being a Floo-call for you in your study," the little elf told him.

"Are we to have no peace?" Severus muttered. "Thank you," he called to Shotsie. "Come, dearest, we will answer it together," he told Hermione.

When he opened the door, Shotsie was still there, and Severus said to her, "Mistress will be moving into the master suite."

A smile broke over the elf's face. "Very good, Master. I will be seeing to it after I am finishing dinner," and she popped away, presumably back to the kitchen.

xox

Severus and Hermione walked into Severus' study and saw Kingsley Shacklebolt's head waiting in the fireplace.

"Hello, Kingsley," Severus stated as they entered the room.

"Severus, Hermione," Kingsley replied, and then inhaled through his nose to speak again. "I am merely informing you of this out of courtesy, but Ginevra Potter was arrested this afternoon attempting to sneak into Abigail's hospital room to finish the job she started the night before."

"And Potter?" Severus asked coolly.

"Ah yes, well that's fairly complicated. He's currently under guard in the Janis Thickney ward."

"What?" Hermione gasped. "Why wasn't he charged also?"

"He may still be," Kingsley said, sighing. "As I said, it's rather complicated." He inhaled once more. "Severus, my apologies for the personal question, but do you still carry the dark mark?"

Severus' brow creased, and his eyebrows rose. "No, I rid myself of it after the war, it is now simply an ill-advised tattoo blemish on my skin. Why?"

"I am reluctant to speak of things of this nature further over a public Floo, but I would value the opportunity to explain things in detail to you both."

Severus glanced at Hermione and saw her emotions swirling on her face. He slipped an arm around her and felt her take advantage of the comfort he offered. "Would you have some time over the weekend?" he asked as he did so. "Perhaps you and Abigail might come to lunch," he stated, hearing a murmur of agreement from Hermione.

"We would be pleased to," Kingsley replied.

"Then, shall we say Saturday at one?" Severus asked.

"Excellent. We will see you both then," Kingsley said.

As soon as the Floo link was broken Hermione looked up at Severus, a very uncertain expression on her face. "What do you suppose has happened?" she murmured. She suddenly had a very potent mix of emotions flying around inside her, and all she wanted to do was cry.

"Perhaps Draco will have some more information when he arrives," Severus offered, pulling her against him tightly.

He felt Hermione nod against his chest, but his mind was flying at the conundrum that Kingsley had just presented him with. Why would he ask such a question? The old mark must be significant in some way… How? He was still thinking when Hermione voiced the same question.

"Why did Kingsley ask you about your mark?"

Looking down he found worried eyes looking up at him. "We are obviously pondering the same thing. Let's think about this critically," and he lifted her into his arms bridal style and sat them both in his favourite chair.

Hermione snuggled into his arms and rested her head on his shoulder. "You are correct when you say that Draco may have more information," she told him softly. However, then she gasped. "Did you remove the dark taint from Draco as well?"

"Yes," Severus replied. "Part of the reason I removed it from myself was that I wished to make certain the cure was safe before I gave it to Draco."

"You used yourself as a guinea pig?"

Severus shrugged casually. "It was not the first time I had done so with an experimental potion."

"Severus!" Hermione said, sitting straight up in shock. "You shouldn't have so little regard for yourself."

"Calm yourself, dearest. I am no longer that reckless. Age and experience have been excellent teachers, and I now employ more mundane methods of experimental potion testing," and he smirked playfully at her.

"Git," she said, batting his arm before snuggling back down.

"Your git," he corrected, kissing her temple.

She smiled. "Yes, my very own lovely wizard," she told him, and she raised her face to him wanting a kiss.

He easily gave it, and all thoughts of solving the riddle that Kingsley had presented disappeared as they sat there kissing, exploring one another's mouths. In fact, all thoughts of everything else disappeared from their minds and narrowed to the sensations building in each of them.

"Oh, Severus," Hermione moaned, pulling herself tighter against him. "I want you," she mumbled, her hands coming up to hold his head as she reorganised her legs so they were straddling his lap.

Before she knew where they were, Severus had apparated them to their bedroom. "We are not being interrupted again," he stated, as he deftly flipped them while Hermione vanished their clothes.

"Agreed. I don't care if Malfoy is expected for dinner, he can wait," Hermione replied, wrapping her legs around him and leaving no doubt of what she wanted. "I've been throbbing for you all day."

"And I you," Severus replied, his hand slipping down between them to rub.

A low groan slipped from her lips and she instantly panted breathily. "Oh, yes, that's it," and she pulled his head back down for another kiss.

As soon as his fingers arrived in the soft curls at the apex of her thighs, Severus could feel how ready for him, and he plied his longest finger on her. As he did this, his head dipped down to her breast.

She shuddered and sighed as the ball of tension inside her tightened. "Oh, god," she moaned. "Yes, yes… yes… yes!"

Knowing that their time was limited, as she came, Severus replaced his finger with another appendage and pushed, easily sliding into her and she howled as pleasure shot through her.

"That's right," his velvet voice demanded.

Hearing his demand and feeling his movements instantly became too much for her. She arched her back, her hands playing with her breasts as she went careening over the edge of pleasure again, her world turning to shards of colour behind her eyelids as she half cried, half groaned, "Severus!"

Her pleasure spurred him on as well, and his neck bulging with taut tendons, he cried his own release and collapsed into her waiting arms.

As passionate and fevered as their coupling had been in their rush to be with one another, they settled into each other's arms post coitus realising that they most likely needed to get back downstairs. In fact, ever the practical one, Hermione had just opened her mouth to say as much when a clock down the hall struck seven.

Whatever she'd been going to say changed into a groan, and she held Severus tighter. "I want to stay here," she moaned softly.

Severus sighed. "Mmm," he replied, adjusting his grip on her and kissing her forehead. "My apologies for the briefness of our encounter, but perhaps it will tide us over until we're alone again."

Hermione sighed. "Therefore, the quicker we get down there, the quicker we can get back up here and continue this."

Severus chuckled. "I suppose you could look at it like that," but as he lifted himself up and saw her truly spread out on his bed, his eyes took in the sight hungrily. "You look perfect like this, and Draco is likely to be late," he told her, his hand starting to stray over her curves again.

She snickered, and took his face in her hands. "As much as I'd love to stay here, we don't want that sneaky Slytherin thinking anything but complete decorum happens in this house," and she kissed him. "Do we?" she added, resting her forehead on his.

He sighed, knowing that she was right. "Yes, I suppose he could find a way of holding that over us. Then, come on, let's hear what said sneaky Slytherin has to say," he said, giving her one more kiss and reluctantly climbing off the bed. He offered his hand and pulled her up too before he used a freshening spell on them both and they were once more clothed.

xox

On the way down stairs, they looked in on Alice quietly, and found her blissfully asleep. Closing the door on her room again, Hermione looked up to Severus. "I've never regretted having Alice, as traumatised as I was by the way she was conceived and the aftermath. I'd always wanted children, even if I'd started to resign myself to not having any."

"I too had come to the same conclusion," Severus replied.

"So, Hogwarts has worked a miracle here, because now she's part of you, and we both have you," Hermione told him, slipping her arms up around his neck. "I love you, Severus."

"And I you, little witch. My witch," he murmured, his lips adoring her neck.

Hermione gave in to his lips and melted against him. However, they were brought up short by pounding feet.

"Uncle Sev'rus," a little blond boy cried as he ran up the hallway towards them, barrelling straight into Severus' legs.

Hermione was never so pleased that she'd placed wards around Alice's room to stop noise from getting in.

Severus scooped the rampaging boy up with an arm around his waist and turned narrowed eyes towards his godson as he casually arrived at the top of the stairs. "Control your offspring, Draco. What is he doing here in any case?"

Draco ignored Severus, and said instead, "The things I've heard today. Is dinner ready, we're starving."

Handing Scorpius back to Draco, Severus was about to speak again when Hermione cut in.

"You mean you haven't fed Scorpius yet?" she asked, disapproval laced through her voice.

Draco had the audacity to chuckle. "You and Mother will get on well," he told her, blithely ignoring her concern.

Hermione's eyes narrowed dangerously. "This young boy is a growing child, and he needs his rest."

"Well, I could hardly leave him at home alone," Draco replied.

"I thought you engaged a nanny for him?" Severus asked, remembering their conversation from that morning.

Draco scoffed. "Infiltrated by bitch-face as a ploy to get me to give her custody. I sent the witch packing almost as soon as she'd arrived this morning."

"The fact remains that he should be fed, bathed and in bed asleep," Hermione cut in.

Severus frowned. "How did you therefore go to work?"

Draco sighed. "Pansy," he stated simply. "However, it is their wedding anniversary tonight, and Roberto is spending the night with his grandmother. Now, Pansy and Blaise may trust her, but I'm not leaving my son and heir with that black widow."

"Ahh, understood," Severus intoned. "Then let us go straight to the dining room and discuss what we need to discuss over dinner, so you can get your son home."

"As I said, I heard some very juicy bits of gossip today," Draco told them as they went back down the stairs.

"Gossip is not what I asked you to gather," Severus warned.

"Well, I've sifted through it," Draco replied defensively. "Did you know that the youngest two Potter children have been living with their grandmother for quite some time? The eldest was also before he went to Hogwarts." He leant in closer. "Apparently they're frightened of their mother… and that the mother has been under a healer's care for some years for... undisclosed issues."

"What about Potter?" Severus asked, thinking that most of what Draco was telling them was supposition.

"The rumour around the Aurory is that she's sent him mad," Draco informed them.

"What rubbish," Hermione informed them as they sat down to dinner. "He's had a madman rattling around in his head. That didn't send him mad," she stated.

"Ah, actually, they both have… You know, the taint of dark magic and all that," Draco reminded them.

"That's actually a good point," Severus intoned thoughtfully, watching Draco feeding Scorpius from his own plate.

"Having Riddle inside my head when I gave him reports used to make my skin crawl, and I'm a master Occlumens. So one can only guess what having him in an unprotected mind might do," he intoned thoughtfully.

"Are you saying that this has been slowly building over the years?" Hermione asked, taking a sip of her wine.

"That old buzzard Dumbledore wouldn't have assisted them," Severus stated, a hint of bitterness in his tone. "We were all only tools… pawns for his use. He gave no consideration to long term consequences." Severus took a deep breath, but Draco cut in.

"Although, he saved me the night he died."

"Yes, but only by having me tear my soul further. I know that this estate was given to me out of the guilt over that deed."

Hermione brought her hand over to cover Severus'. "Yes, he used us all, but he did have his caring side, and from what I've read he had his own demons too."

"Don't we all," Severus muttered, draining his glass. "But they don't normally send us mad," he added. However, that was the moment thoughts from what seemed like an age ago entered his mind, and he considered Harry Potter's complete inability whilst a student to shield his mind in any way. He sighed. Back then it was true to say that Severus could not see past the hatred of James Potter to in any way assist his son. Well, after what he's inflicted on Hermione I'm certainly not going to assist him now, he thought. "How has this become so introspective?" Severus asked, finally starting to eat his dinner.

Hermione sighed. "It's reminded us all of dark days."

"I'm taking Scorpius to visit mother and father," Draco said with a long exhale, aware that this change of subject may have seemed abrupt.

After the war and their trials Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy left England. Well, Lucius had essentially been exiled. It had been intimated that if he did not leave he would never see the light of day again, so they'd taken up permanent residence on their French estate.

Draco's relationship with his parents had been tense since the war at best, but having tried life without them he'd finally made contact with them this afternoon. "I owled them today, and I received their reply just before I left work tonight."

If Severus found this development strange he did not comment, he merely nodded. "Family is very important, Draco," and as he said it he linked his fingers through Hermione's. "It is the backbone of stability."

Draco smiled, glancing down at his tired son. "Yes, yes it is." He inhaled. "So, I've taken leave from work. I will care for Scorpius, and I will include my parents in the process."

Severus' brow furrowed, and he asked, "Now, I know that you and Astoria have never been a love match, but what was the final straw?"

"Ronald Weasley," Draco answered with a sneer on his face. "I've caught her with a few redheaded lovers in the past, but Weasley… well that was a step too far," he stated his face twisting further.

Severus chuckled. "Now there's an image that I never wanted in my head," and he kissed Hermione's hand. "We best allow Draco to get his son home," he said.

"Yes, and all the best," Hermione said to Draco, as they all rose from the table.

"The three of you will come and visit, won't you?" Draco said.

Severus and Hermione glanced at one another. "We'll see," Severus finally said. "When are you leaving?"

"In the morning. I'm closing the manor up."

Severus nodded his understanding. "Then, all the best, Draco."

"Thank you, Severus. I appreciate all you've done for us."

"As I said, family is important. Please pass on my best regards to your mother, and also to that arrogant, stubborn old fool who's your father."

Draco chuckled. "Shall do. Good night."

"Good night," they replied, walking with them to the Floo.