"Why are you leading me around with my eyes closed?" Hermione asked, as she slowly felt her way down the stairs.
"Because it is to be a surprise. However, if I had known how long you would take to traverse this short distance, I would have simply carried you."
"Why can't you now?" Hermione teased. She felt his grip on her arm tighten slightly, and he pushed her towards the wall. No, it was not the wall, it was through a door of some kind.
"Because we are almost there," Severus told her. She heard something scrape against stone, and then he bade her stop.
"You may open your eyes now."
When she did, Hermione was surprised. She stood inside what must be his quarters, in front of a fireplace. The space was not richly decorated, but it was better than the chains that most of the boys talked about. It was clean, and there were three chairs in front of the fireplace.
The chairs looked comfortable enough, and Severus gestured for her to sit. He went into another room, and that gave Hermione more time to examine the room. There was a bookshelf, filled with potions titles, and a few other non-potion related books, such as Famous Witches and Wizards. The room was sparse, Hermione noted. It lacked photographs, and the usual homey touches one would expect.
A noise made her turn her attention back to the door Severus had exited through. He was coming back, and there was a little girl with him! He noticed her stare, and made no move to explain. He gently led the girl to Hermione, and almost at once she understood.
The girl was blind. She could not see Hermione, or any of the things in the room. Hermione had had a real aunt that was blind. She would identify everyone by their hands. Hermione had always thought her aunt a little strange, until she learned what blindness meant. After reading all sorts of books, Hermione found that most blind people their hands to identify people by a certain feature.
"Jane, this is Hermione. Hermione, this is Jane," Severus said by way of introduction. Jane reached forward, and Hermione caught her hands. Somehow, she knew that Jane would need to feel her face.
"You must be very pretty," Jane told Hermione after she had gently traced her way over Hermione's features.
"Thank you," Hermione said, blushing. "You are very pretty too."
"Thank you. Daddy says that to me all the time. He also told me that his girlfriend was pretty, and that is who I assume you to be." Taken aback by the formaltity of the child's speech, it took Hermione a few moments to piece the puzzle together in her head.
"So, Severus is your father?"
"Not genetically. But he's my daddy in my heart, and that's all that matters to me," Jane said firmly. Severus smiled tenderly at Jane, and Hermione blinked in surprise.
Gathering Jane up into his arms, Severus made himself comfortable in a chair. Jane leaned back against his chest, and closed her eyes. After a long while passed in silence, Hermione asked,
"Did she fall asleep?"
"Yes. She had adjusted her sleeping schedule so that she could spend the maximum amount of her waking hours with me for the school year, and so it is her habit to sleep after lunchtime."
"Where did she come from?" Hermione asked softy.
"There is an unmarked book on the third shelf down. Jane and I recorded some entries together that concern her past, how she came here, and a few other things that might interest you. When it is time for you to go, you make take it with you."
Hermione leaned back in her chair, feeling sleepy herself. She snuggled down, and Severus eyed her with an amused look on his face. When she closed her eyes, he asked,
"Should I have shown you the bedroom instead?"
"Maybe. I don't like to sleep in a chair," Hermione told him sleepily. She heard him chuckle, and get out of his chair. His footsteps retreated, and then returned.
Abruptly, Hermione found herself being lifted. She reached out her arms, and wrapped them around his neck. Eyes still shut tight, she allowed herself to be carried into another room, and then laid on a soft bed. She felt a gentle kiss on the back of her neck, and him climbing into bed with her. When she turned to face him, her eyes open, he placed a finger on his lips, and indicated Jane, who was sleeping on his other side.
"She likes me to stay close when she sleeps. Especially now. She has never felt very safe in the summertime." Severus stroked the tiny girl's cheek as Hermione leaned against his shoulder.
"She's beautiful, Severus," Hermione whispered.
"You are both beautiful," Severus told her. "And I want you both by my side. Now, and for the rest of my life."
"I want that too," Hermione affirmed softly, and then she placed her head against his chest. Within moments, she was asleep for good. Severus kissed the top of her head, and then Jane's.
"Now and forever," he promised them both, and closed his own eyes.
"Because it is to be a surprise. However, if I had known how long you would take to traverse this short distance, I would have simply carried you."
"Why can't you now?" Hermione teased. She felt his grip on her arm tighten slightly, and he pushed her towards the wall. No, it was not the wall, it was through a door of some kind.
"Because we are almost there," Severus told her. She heard something scrape against stone, and then he bade her stop.
"You may open your eyes now."
When she did, Hermione was surprised. She stood inside what must be his quarters, in front of a fireplace. The space was not richly decorated, but it was better than the chains that most of the boys talked about. It was clean, and there were three chairs in front of the fireplace.
The chairs looked comfortable enough, and Severus gestured for her to sit. He went into another room, and that gave Hermione more time to examine the room. There was a bookshelf, filled with potions titles, and a few other non-potion related books, such as Famous Witches and Wizards. The room was sparse, Hermione noted. It lacked photographs, and the usual homey touches one would expect.
A noise made her turn her attention back to the door Severus had exited through. He was coming back, and there was a little girl with him! He noticed her stare, and made no move to explain. He gently led the girl to Hermione, and almost at once she understood.
The girl was blind. She could not see Hermione, or any of the things in the room. Hermione had had a real aunt that was blind. She would identify everyone by their hands. Hermione had always thought her aunt a little strange, until she learned what blindness meant. After reading all sorts of books, Hermione found that most blind people their hands to identify people by a certain feature.
"Jane, this is Hermione. Hermione, this is Jane," Severus said by way of introduction. Jane reached forward, and Hermione caught her hands. Somehow, she knew that Jane would need to feel her face.
"You must be very pretty," Jane told Hermione after she had gently traced her way over Hermione's features.
"Thank you," Hermione said, blushing. "You are very pretty too."
"Thank you. Daddy says that to me all the time. He also told me that his girlfriend was pretty, and that is who I assume you to be." Taken aback by the formaltity of the child's speech, it took Hermione a few moments to piece the puzzle together in her head.
"So, Severus is your father?"
"Not genetically. But he's my daddy in my heart, and that's all that matters to me," Jane said firmly. Severus smiled tenderly at Jane, and Hermione blinked in surprise.
Gathering Jane up into his arms, Severus made himself comfortable in a chair. Jane leaned back against his chest, and closed her eyes. After a long while passed in silence, Hermione asked,
"Did she fall asleep?"
"Yes. She had adjusted her sleeping schedule so that she could spend the maximum amount of her waking hours with me for the school year, and so it is her habit to sleep after lunchtime."
"Where did she come from?" Hermione asked softy.
"There is an unmarked book on the third shelf down. Jane and I recorded some entries together that concern her past, how she came here, and a few other things that might interest you. When it is time for you to go, you make take it with you."
Hermione leaned back in her chair, feeling sleepy herself. She snuggled down, and Severus eyed her with an amused look on his face. When she closed her eyes, he asked,
"Should I have shown you the bedroom instead?"
"Maybe. I don't like to sleep in a chair," Hermione told him sleepily. She heard him chuckle, and get out of his chair. His footsteps retreated, and then returned.
Abruptly, Hermione found herself being lifted. She reached out her arms, and wrapped them around his neck. Eyes still shut tight, she allowed herself to be carried into another room, and then laid on a soft bed. She felt a gentle kiss on the back of her neck, and him climbing into bed with her. When she turned to face him, her eyes open, he placed a finger on his lips, and indicated Jane, who was sleeping on his other side.
"She likes me to stay close when she sleeps. Especially now. She has never felt very safe in the summertime." Severus stroked the tiny girl's cheek as Hermione leaned against his shoulder.
"She's beautiful, Severus," Hermione whispered.
"You are both beautiful," Severus told her. "And I want you both by my side. Now, and for the rest of my life."
"I want that too," Hermione affirmed softly, and then she placed her head against his chest. Within moments, she was asleep for good. Severus kissed the top of her head, and then Jane's.
"Now and forever," he promised them both, and closed his own eyes.