Disclaimer: Whew, getting those love birds together has been quite the journey. I have a few ideas where I want this story to go, but be assured that I will at least see it through for a few more chapters. I'm not much of a lemony writer, but there should be some M material in this chapter. After all, it's the last day of their honeymoon. Also, beware of fluff. Don't forget to check out the pics linked in my profile.

Hermione did not want the trip to end. They were back on the road for their last day in Ireland, and she wished they didn't have to return home yet. There was so much more to know about this mysterious man she had married. She couldn't believe how compatible they were. Every day with him was more interesting than the last. Hermione was quite content. Now that she knew how he felt about her, she was less nervous around him. She still felt quite jittery, but for other reasons. Even though they had consummated their relationship, every touch from him was still brand new and exciting. Who knew Severus could flirt?

Just then, like he was reading her mind, Severus reached his left hand to place it on her knee while holding the steering wheel with his right. Such a simple affectionate action from the reserved wizard was thrilling, since he rarely displayed such congenial gestures. Hermione was thoroughly focused on his thumb rubbing small circles above her knee, so much so that she missed his question.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" He smirked at her distracted state.

"I asked if you enjoyed our evening. And if you had anything else you wanted to see or do in Ireland before we leave tomorrow." To further implicate what he wished to do with their remaining time, Severus ran the tips of his fingers along her inner thigh. To his delight, she looked flushed.

"I enjoyed our evening very much, Severus. I have no particular designs for today. You have been an excellent tour guide so far, I wouldn't dream of deterring you from whatever you have planned." Her smile encouraged him to take her hand in his. It was a good thing he was such an experienced driver.

"There is little on the docket today. Just a drive to Galway, and then I thought we would catch some music at some pub or another. Galway is known for their musicians."

"That sounds perfect."

"Of course, they do not usually play until late, so there will be time for…leisure."

"Oh yes, a rest would be nice." Hermione responded playfully.

Severus smiled. Something to look forward to indeed. Now that they were growing closer, there were many questions he wanted to ask that seemed too personal before. He hoped she would not think he was prying, but he wanted to know so much more about her.

"You are aware we can no longer annul the marriage now." Severus knew she was well-versed in the law, but he had to be certain she knew the consequences of last night's interaction.

"Yes, Severus. I do work at the Ministry, you know." She rolled her eyes and smirked at him.

"I am all too aware. I simply wanted to make sure you knew there is no going back now." He said it with a lilt of humor, but he meant it. Severus knew more every minute that this was the woman for him. He would strive to keep her for as long as she was willing.

Hermione shook her head, "You aren't getting rid of me any time soon, Master Snape."

"Good." He nodded.

"So, you knew it was me before you even registered, didn't you?"

Cheeky little chit.

"Yes, Hermione. I knew it was your scent. As for whether we would be paired, that was yet to be seen. I hoped, but I also figured you would have better matches from other suitors." There was no point in hiding it from her now. She would probably sniff out the truth anyway. Pun intended.

"Well, lucky for you I had very few prospects." she joked. He frowned.

"Severus, I need you to know that I still would have chosen your name even if I had a dozen other prospects. I was shocked to hear you registered at all, but I was relieved to be paired with someone I knew and trusted. I could never have imagined how lucky I would get." She blushed when she realized how that sounded.

Severus chuckled at her blunder. "Well, we shall have to ensure that your luck continues frequently," he joked. Hermione hit him playfully on the arm.

"Cheeky bastard."

"Insolent chit."

More light flirting later, they arrived in Galway. The morning had been full of sunshine, but when they approached Galway, the day turned gray and drizzly with intermittent downpours. The downpour began in earnest as they arrived at the inn. Severus created a wide invisible umbrella effect with his wand, and they raced inside with their luggage. The area was widely muggle so they had to keep up appearances of normalcy. Once they had settled their things in the room, they sipped hot tea by the fireplace down in the common room. Severus wrapped a blanket around Hermione's shoulders when he noticed she was still shivering from the cold rain. He could have cast a warming charm and drying spell, but some things were best done by hand.

"Thank you, honey." Hermione said sweetly. Severus cast a look of disgust her way.

"What are you up to, witch?" He asked with suspicion.

"Just trying out some pet names. Se-ve-rus is a mouthful to say repeatedly throughout the day."

"But I like it when you say my name." Severus said low and soft. Hermione shivered again but not from the cold.

"Still, it couldn't hurt to try a few out."

"I do not approve of this experiment." Severus frowned.

"That's okay, pumpkin. You'll survive it." She sipped her tea to avoid laughing. He scowled.

"I am not sure that is entirely accurate."

"How's your tea, babe?" She asked, enjoying his growing consternation. He growled.

"Increasingly bitter, Granger."

"Do you need me to get you some sugar, sugar?"

"I will leave."

"Alright, alright. You let me have my fun. Did none of them catch your fancy?"

"I suggest you stick with Severus. I refuse to have you talk like Miss Brown."

That reminded her, they had a wedding to go to next week.

"Oh, speaking of, are you up for going to Lavender and Ron's wedding next week with me? I can't promise it will be painless, but I would feel much better with you by my side." His lips twitched upward at that.

"Only if you agree to attend Blaise and Malverna's wedding with me the following week." She raised her eyebrows.

"You are inviting me to a public function? Willingly?"

"I have been asked to stand as a witness."

"You're a groomsman? How exciting!"

"Hardly. But I must support my protege."

"Then of course I will go with you. Good thing I bought a few dresses. The marriage law has certainly brought about a whirlwind of a wedding season." Their conversation fell into comfortable silence. There was this tangible tension between them, and Severus leaned forward to look into her eyes. The rain outside the windows raged on, the wind whipping the trees. They were the only two people downstairs at the inn. The fire burned steadily and crackled while the wind whistled through the chimney. Severus' dark eyes blazed with intensity. The moment was one they knew they would remember for a lifetime. Just the two of them in the middle of a storm, facing each other leaning forward, their knees touching and their eyes taking in one another.

"Hermione…"

"Yes, Severus?"

"Will you be my wife?"

"I am already your wife."

"But I never got to ask. And you never got to choose. Will you stay married to me, Hermione Granger?" He dropped to his knee, crouched before her, his face inches from hers.

"Yes. Yes, I will." She whispered. He grinned. Severus pulled her into his arms to stand together and kissed her. Their kiss deepened when she opened her mouth to him. He paused and pulled back, offering his arm.

"Shall we retire to our room, Mrs. Snape." She rested her arm in his, overly proper.

"I think we shall, Master Snape." Together they promenaded up the stairs.

They burst into the room, trying not to laugh out loud.

"I love seeing this silly side of you, Severus."

"How dare you? I am never silly."

"It's okay. I won't tell. Your reputation is safe with me."

He sat on the bed and pulled her close to him. Last night was quick and passionate. Today he would take his time. She stood before him patiently, sensing his intentions and willing to follow his lead. Severus carefully pulled up her sweater and kissed her bare stomach. He nuzzled his nose up to her chest while removing her shirt and tossing it aside, running both hands along her back. Hermione sighed and relaxed into his touch. Merlin, he loved that sound. He loved how much she trusted him. He was falling hard for this woman, and for once he was not afraid. Well slightly, but it was hard to concentrate on his worries when Hermione leaned forward to kiss him. She ran her hands through his hair, and he grunted in approval. He was like puddy in her hands. Severus never liked relinquishing control in any situation, but he was glad to find this was a pleasant exception. He laid back as she straddled him. She leaned forward again as if to kiss him, but she veered to the side and nibbled on his earlobe. A soft moan escaped his lips, which seemed to empower her and she whispered in his ear "I need you".

Stronger than he looked, Severus flipped her over and stood at the edge of the bed. He stripped them of their remaining articles of clothing and pulled under her legs to bring them together. As the storm outside came to its peak of rain and thunder, so did the couple in the small room at the old inn.

Limbs tangled together, the couple discussed their situation.

"So, are you ready to return to England tomorrow?" Hermione asked.

"Honestly, no. I fear that our intimacy will be altered by others' opinions and involvement. Will your head be turned if they disapprove of our… progress?" Severus played with their intertwined fingers as he spoke.

"As if I care what they say. My true friends will respect my decisions. And I think some of them might surprise you. I'm happy with you, so they should be happy for me. The press, however? We just won't read anything if they write about us again." Hermione rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes.

"As long as you don't snog me in front of Ron and Harry, we should be fine." Hermione stated.

"I make no promises."

"Severus!" She said, pulling up on her forearm to look at him.

"What? I must have my fun somehow."

"You're ridiculous."

"I believe it's pronounced riddikulus."

"If you were a boggart, that would be useful. But seeing as I'm not afraid of you, I don't think you are one."

"Were you ever afraid of me?" Severus asked, suddenly pensive.

"Not afraid, no. I always respected you as a professor. Sometimes I was disappointed by the prejudice you displayed, but never afraid. Like I've said before. I find your presence calming."

"You are a strange one, Hermione."

"I know."

"We must get up if you want to eat. Though I am loath to move from our current position."

"You're right. You're right." Hermione muttered as she kissed him once more and then got up to get dressed.

Down the street they found a pub with a sign announcing music at nine. Their meal was hearty and filling. There was still a little while before the music started, and Severus was content to remain silent. Hermione casually brought a book out of her purse, trying to act like reading in the pub was a completely normal activity.

"You brought a book to the bar?" Severus asked, incredulous.

"I bring a book with me everywhere I go. You never know when you're going to have a moment of reading time." He smirked at her, and then reached his hand into his coat and pulled out a slim paperback volume.

"We really are quite the pair." He stated.

The two read their books by the light of the fire in the corner of the pub. Hermione was lost in her novel when she heard the music start up.

The music filled Hermione with joy. The percussive strum of the guitar accompanied the lively notes of the fiddle and penny whistle combined to make a quintessentially Irish sound. Hermione found herself stomping her heel into the floor along with the beat like others around her. Even with their strong Irish accents, Hermione followed the lyrics sung by the guitarist and fiddle player:

They've got one in Honolulu

They've got one in Moscow too

They've got four of them in Sydney

And a couple in Kathmandu

So whether you sing or pull a pint

You'll always have a job

Cause wherever you go around the world

You'll find an irish pub

By the third refrain, everyone in the pub joined in the chorus, stomping and clapping along as they sang. Even Severus gently tapped the heel of his dragon-hide shoes to the beat of the music. The crowd at the pub cheered as the song hit the final strum.

The band played a few more instrumental songs while others chatted, drank, and laughed. Then the guitarist asked if anyone would sing. A lady from France sang a tune in French that sounded like a lullaby. Several other people knew it and joined in with her. A matronly woman in the corner sang an Irish folk tune acapella with four verses that told a rather raunchy tale. After the raucous laughter died down, to Severus' complete astonishment, Hermione began to sing.

Red is the rose that in yonder garden grows

Fair is the lily of the valley

Clear is the water that flows from the Boyne

But my love is fairer than any

She had a sweet soft voice, and those around them fell silent to hear her. In the second and third verses the Irish locals traded off singing and everyone sang the chorus together.

There was no sober person left by the end of the night, and Severus and Hermione left just before midnight.

"Where did you learn that song?" Severus asked, taking her hand as they strolled along the cobblestone street.

"My grandmother used to sing it to me when I was younger. Her parents were from Westport, and they sang it to her. I've always liked it."

"I enjoyed hearing your voice. I didn't know you could sing."

"It's not something I do often or in front of anyone usually. Liquid courage I suppose. It was fun actually."

"You should sing more often." Hermione blushed.

"Maybe just for you." She bumped him with her hip.

"Hmmmm."

They arrived at the inn and Hermione followed Severus up two flights of stairs. She couldn't help but admire his backside. He interrupted her thoughts as they reached their door,

"Ready for round two, Granger?" Severus asked without turning around.

"I'm sorry, what?" He turned back to face her with that look in his eyes.

"Oh…" Hermione uttered.

"Come now, my bonnie Irish lass. Close the door."

Disclaimer: Songs & Lyrics from the High Kings. Links below. Also, the final scene here in Galway is based on a night we had at a pub in Westport. The band asked me to sing a song of my homeland, so I sang "Deep in the Heart of Texas". Later in the night I also sang the jazzy tune "Our Love is Here to Stay". Obviously, I'm terribly shy lol. Review please!

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