Dear Hermione,
Not much to report here. Ron's barely keeping it together.
He was able to come back to school, but his family is still
hiding. He should be safe here. I haven't seen any of them
but Mrs. Weasley writes me every now and then. Are you
ok? We've been worried sick that they'll find you. I wish
there was more of an update.
Miss you,
Harry.
Dear Hermione,
I'm hanging in there. I still can't believe he's gone. Fred isn't
doing well, but who can blame him? Mum's been a complete
nutter. She's not coping well at all. We'll let you know when there's
progress. Are you ok?
Love you,
Ron.
Hermione,
It's a relief that you're hanging in there. Things
sound like they're going well for you there. Ginny's
dating McLaggen now. Can you believe that? I just
can't seem to get her attention anymore.
I had another dream, like I did last year. Dumbledore
knows, and I won't worry you with the details. But I
feel like something big is coming. I can feel it.
Stay safe, OK?
Harry
Dear Hermione,
Harry's getting distant again. I try to scold him like you
did, but he won't listen. It's all I can do to even have a
conversation with him. He's keeping something from me.
Has he said anything to you?
I'm worried about you. Has He given you any trouble?
I hate the idea that you have to be so close to him all the time.
I know you and I aren't, well, you know…but I still worry.
Do you miss me?
Ron.
Hermione rubbed her forehead. She pulled her legs up underneath her on the sofa and resolved to write them back later. The Ronald situation had been chewing at the back of her mind since his letter to her in France.
Don't let him touch you.
And she hated to admit that her crush on her friend had dissipated almost as quickly as it had come on. It was replaced now with an overwhelming want for the man whose ring she wore. She looked down at said ring and smiled fondly, twisting it on her finger. She wasn't sure how to tell Ron that she just wasn't interested anymore. Certainly, she wasn't about to tell him about her summer fling.
Hermione tucked the letters into her Ancient Runes book, continuing from the paragraph she'd been distracted from. But it seemed to be no use; her mind continued to stray from the words in her book and to her husband who had gone to the shop for groceries.
What do we do after the war?
Whatever you want.
There was something in his eyes when he said those words that didn't quite sit right with Hermione. He looked almost…sad, and she couldn't pinpoint why. Her mind often wandered to the idea that maybe he didn't want her as much as she wanted him.
"Galleon for your thoughts?" She jumped and Severus smirked at her. "I've been home twenty minutes, you didn't hear me?" On shaky legs, she stood and crossed to him, lifting her hands to place on either side of his face. The smirk slipped from his face but he leaned into her touch despite himself.
"I'm sorry, I was away with the faeries," she said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"What's wrong?"
Nothing. And everything.
"Christine." She took a deep breath, her heart in her throat.
"I think we may be saying goodbye to our home sooner rather than later." Severus' brow crumpled. "The boys wrote me. Harry's having visions again. He thinks we don't have much time left."
Severus knew the time would come. He had a terrible feeling in his gut since George Weasley's death.
"I know what I want after the war," Hermione said timidly, chewing her lip and averting her gaze. He studied her, bringing a hand up to tangle in her riot of curls. After all they'd shared, she still had things she was afraid to tell him. "I want to come back here. With you. I want this life." If possible, his face fell even more. Upon seeing his expression, she let her hands fall and she stepped away from him. "But you don't."
"I do." He said, stunned. "I want that very much." Tears sprang to her eyes as he stepped toward her again, taking one of her hands in his own. "Oh, wife."
"What?"
"I'm not going to survive this war." Her brow furrowed and she opened her mouth to argue but he held up his free hand to stop her. "We both know that He won't let me live." Before she realized what she was doing, she'd hurled herself at him, her arms locking around his neck. His own arms held her just as tightly and she felt him bury his face in her neck.
"You will live. And you will come back here with me. I promise you." He held her tighter, his heart breaking for a promise he knew she couldn't keep.
The weeks seemed to fly by. They developed their business together and had a successful first month. They learned more about each other emotionally, mentally, and physically. They made love, they read, and they explored their city together. At times it felt as though they could stay like that. Like they weren't hurtling head first into a magical war they weren't sure they'd make it out of.
One morning in mid September, it was exceptionally hot and only getting hotter. Hermione sat on the balcony in shorts and a cropped tank top, hoping to catch even a stray breeze. The heat was unrelenting. She loved it. She heard footsteps on the stairs behind her and glanced over her shoulder, calling "I'm out here!"
"You could be in the cool air, you know!" Severus called back.
"I've spent too long in cold Scotland. I'm basking–what are you doing?" He was kneeling next to her chair when she looked over, holding a small black box. She sat up straighter.
"I'm making you a promise." He opened the box and nestled inside was a simple cold ring. One single ruby was set in the middle of it. He took it out of the box and held it out to her, looking more anxious than she'd ever seen him. "
"If we do make it out of this," he told her quietly and with solid conviction, "I want this, too. When this is over, will you marry me? Intentionally?" She slid out of her chair to kneel between his knees.
"Of course I will." He slipped the ring on her finger, next to the plain band, and pulled her tight against him.
-V-
"What's that?" Albert asked at dinner that evening. He reached across the table for Hermione's hand, and she placed it in his. "Is this–?"
"Yes," she answered simply.
"So, you're serious?"
"Yes, daddy." She found herself giggling as she took her hand back. Albert, with quiet resolve, turned his eyes to Severus and held his hand out for the younger man to shake.
"You be good to my girl." Severus nodded stiffly. Jean smiled gently and sipped her wine, before nodding to Severus in quiet, reluctant approval.
-V-
It wasn't long after that dinner that Albus showed up at their door again. It was time. With whispered spells and charms, they placed their home under a stacis in hopes that they would be returning to it. Hermione kissed her parents goodbye, holding them briefly as they cried. And then they took the portkey back to Hogwarts, accompanied by Albus. They landed with a pop in his office.
"Hermione!" She'd barely had time to register their arrival before she was nearly knocked off of her feet.
"Harry! God, I've missed you!" He pulled away and grinned at her.
"Wow, you're tan." She laughed and mussed his hair playfully. Ron was next, taking her into his arms and cradling her neck in a way that made Severus feel an irrational fit of anger and jealousy.
"I can't even tell you how much I've missed you." He heard the boy murmur into her hair. She released him with a tight smile.
"I missed you, too." Severus desperately wanted to claim her in front of them. As though sensing his distress, she wrapped an arm around his waist and leaned into him. Potter looked curiously between them while Weasley looked as though he'd been smacked in the face.
"Harry, tell us everything. How close are we?" Harry looked to Albus, who nodded for him to continue.
"The visions started again when I sent you that letter," he began. "What we've come down with is this: Voldemort–" Severus hissed softly next to her, "had me thinking that he was going to strike on Halloween again."
"It would make sense," Hermione agreed. Harry waved a hand at her.
"I'm not finished. He knows about the connection. We learned the hard way with Sirius, but we're not going to fall for it again. He wants us to think it'll be Halloween at Godric's Hallow–where he attacked last time. Malfoy says that's a ploy. He wants us unprepared." Harry stopped then, turning abruptly to face them. "We have three days, Hermione. Three days before they attack Hogsmeade and try to infiltrate the castle."
Three days. That was barely enough time.
"How long have you known?" She asked breathily.
"We found out last week."
"Last week!" Hermione startled at Severus' growl next to her. He released her to turn to the Headmaster. The older man looked at him evenly over his half-moon glasses. "We could have had an extra week to prepare, and you give us three days!"
"I gave you an extra week with your wife, Severus. I gave you an extra week of safety."
"Had you given me an extra week to prepare for this battle, I could have had a lifetime with my wife," Severus said through gritted teeth. "An extra week could have saved her from becoming a widow!"
"You, Severus, are a strong, capable wizard. I have faith that she will not be widowed in this war. Perhaps this is not something that should be discussed directly in front of her."
"We've discussed it plenty already," Hermione interjected. "So, we only have three days to prepare. What else do we need to know?" With that, Albus conjured chairs, tea, and sandwiches and they launched into discussion.
"He'll be anticipating basic spells," Severus said in annoyance when, at one point, Harry mentioned his success with disarming spells. Hermione was sat sideways in her chair, several spell books in her lap with her legs dangling over the arm.
"What about–"
"Ronald, if you mention a bat bogey hex as a solution, I will come at you like a buzzard." Severus snorted next to her.
"I wasn't going to." Ron mumbled. "If you let me finish–He'll be anticipating basic spells, so we have to use something he won't anticipate."
"Ground breaking, Weasley." Severus drawled. Ron glared at him.
"You're not my teacher right now, so I don't feel guilty about telling you to fuck off."
"Ron!" Hermione snapped.
"He won't anticipate us using other magic."
"There's a spell…" Severus began carefully. "The Carrows used it proficiently and taught it to certain death eaters. But it was always their trick." Hermione held the books to her chest so she could sit up properly. "Fiendfyre."
"Cursed fire?" Hermione asked skeptically. "That's really dark, we can't use that." His eyes locked on hers in an intensity that made her stomach flip unpleasantly.
"Darkness depends on intention. If anyone can do this spell properly, Granger, you can." She searched his eyes.
"He's right," Harry said. "You're the most powerful of the three of us, Hermione." Ron nodded.
"You're asking me to use a dark spell that's barely controllable? I've read about Fiendfyre, it has a certain reputation–"
"I'm aware." Severus leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, finally breaking their gaze. "This is not an easy thing to ask of you, wife, but it appears to be our only option."
"Fiendfyre takes an incredible amount of concentration, Miss Granger." Albus said. "I have no doubt you will master it beautifully."
"I have three days to master wild magic." Severus could feel her panic rising and reached over to grasp her knee.
"Master it. Wield it. Win with it." His voice went straight to her core, causing a shiver to ripple down her spine. Chewing her lip nervously, she nodded.
"Okay."