A/N: There is nothing that drains creativity such as waiting for the results of a job interview as I have been doing this last week, and nothing that restores it (well, I think it is restored……) as finding I have the job! So here is the chapter – part angst, part fluff. Enjoy.

Alexial, Andrian, Beth Ann, BLV, Chishonio Tenshi, DeAtH2aLLpRePZ, excessivelyperky, Ezmeralda, Goddess-Isis-112, Halo, Kslivlib, Jasmine Black, Lady Brannon, Liah, LonelySlytherin, Lucinda Malfoy, Luna Writer, MadAboutHarry, Manthers, Marston Chicklet, Megamie, Mysticpixie, PotionsMistress, ROTC Girl, Sapphire Rhapsody, Selania Slytherin, Strega Brava, sweetevangeline, Sylvia, Tabii, Zoe, Thanks!

Emiko – Well, I just write the story that seems to be the best way at the time – I doubt I can please everyone with my plotlines and I don't expect to. I don't think Hermione would be one to use the bracelet constantly and never walk anywhere again – she's too down-to-earth for that.

Tegan – I'm glad to see you again – I have been enjoying reading your updates to your story 'Echoes' (a story I recommend, folks!).

Part 36

As thoughts tumbled through Hermione's mind, she saw the headmaster come towards them, looking like a benign grandfather arriving to greet his kin.

"You are Mr and Mrs Granger, of course; well met!" Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eyes. On this day he was dressed in beautifully formal brocade robes that made everyone else look dowdy in comparison.

"You must be pleased to have a daughter who has been, and will continue to be, an asset to this school," he said cheerfully.

"Yes, we are," Richard said readily. "It's clear to us that this is where our daughter belongs". Olivia nodded quickly in assent.

Was Dumbledore exerting an influence over her parents' minds? She had no sure way of knowing. If he was, it seemed less repugnant than the thought that her parents were glad to leave her here where they could safely ignore her and get on with their own lives, Hermione thought with pain inside.

"You approve of her engagement, then?" her mother enquired, her eyes keen.

Dumbledore smiled benignly. "Of course. I am pleased to see a union come about between two wizards of such stature. Young wizards should not be discouraged from marrying when their hearts draw them together – so rest assured that your daughter is in safe hands", he said with a twinkle at Hermione (who was maintaining a look of respectful interest on her face).

Hermione felt herself going slightly pink from embarrassment though – why did the headmaster have to make it sound as if she and Severus were both impetuous teenage lovers?

"Oh well, that's all right then," Olivia prattled, looking nothing but a proud mother.

"I am glad you agree," Dumbledore said heartily. "Wouldn't you say so, Hermione?"

She forced a smile. "Of course, headmaster." Dumbledore peered at her over his spectacles as if he was aware of her thoughts….and was amused.

"Excellent," he said and then nodded courteously to her parents. "A pleasure to meet you both but I fear my attention is requested elsewhere."

"Of course," Olivia said smilingly. "It was good to meet you."

When the headmaster had departed Olivia smiled brightly at her daughter. "Hermione, my throat feels dry - would you fetch me a glass of water?" Then Olivia paused. "The water here…..it is safe, isn't it?"

Hermione pasted a smile upon her face. Did her mother think that the water would turn her into a frog?

"Yes, Mum," she said quietly and turned away in the direction of a marquee set at a discreet distance, under which there was a long table set with all kinds of finger food that replaced itself once you had helped yourself from the various platters (not surprisingly, Crabbe and Goyle had taken advantage to stuff themselves with food). There was also a tall pitcher on the table that had had a charm placed upon it so it would produce any drink you could think of (within limits).

She was relieved to have an excuse to leave her parents and she still felt churned up inside as she poured water she had summoned to the pitcher into a glass goblet.

There was a rustle of robes beside her and she saw Severus standing beside her, his dark eyes studying her.

"Your parents do not object to our union but I wonder at the words they have said to put that look of misery in your eyes," he said softly.

"I'm fine; there's nothing to worry about," Hermione said quickly in an equally low tone. She felt unwilling to relate the things her parents had said and she also did not want Severus to turn his ire towards her parents today.

"Yet it was not 'nothing' to you, Hermione," he observed sharply.

"Forget about it," Hermione found herself snapping. She regretted it when she saw his mouth tighten.

"Very well. I will see you later," Severus said curtly and turning swept away.

Damn her mouth! Hermione thought wretchedly. She shouldn't have taken out her upset mood on him. Unfortunately with all the people milling around it made things difficult for her to run after him and say sorry. Biting her lip she took the goblet of water and headed back towards her parents.

"Hermione!" came a cheerful call and Hermione turned to see Lavender and her mother, a small woman in amber robes with a smile upon her face, coming towards her.

"I can't believe I got through the ceremony without falling flat upon my face!" Lavender laughed after the initial greetings had been made. "It looks like Harry will be plastered all over the Daily Prophet again, you know, 'Boy Who Triumphed Graduates' and that sort of thing."

"Poor Harry," Hermione said with feeling. "I'm just taking this water back to my mother, would you like to come….." she said, trailing off.

Lavender glanced in the direction of Hermione's parents, a faint look of surprise on her face. "That's right, they're Muggles, aren't they? I sometimes forget you're not wizard-born like the rest of us. Yes, I would like to meet them – it's not often you see Muggles close up that often!"

Hermione felt momentarily better at the thought her friend could mistake her for a 'pure blood' and right now she welcomed the chatter of Lavender, who cheerfully put her parents at ease with her bright manner. Harry came along at one point and stopped to talk to them as well, every inch the Poster Boy for Gryffindor with his quiet charisma and manners.

At one point he smiled with slight awkwardness at Hermione. "Look, I'll be going back with Ron today to stay at his house for a couple of weeks – Mrs Weasley is determined to 'feed me well' so I'll ah, see you when I get back."

The unspoken words was that it was doubtful that Hermione would get an invitation to come and visit him while he was staying at Ron's, which made her feel regretful. She had enjoyed coming to see the Weasley household in the past – despite the fact that the untidy house only seemed to be held together with a wish and a prayer, it had a cheerful charm that was missing from her parents house. Ron was pointedly avoiding her at the moment….

"That's all right, Harry," she nevertheless said matter-of-factly. Harry smiled in relief. "I'm sure you'll find something to do anyway!" he grinned. Yes, such as make up with Severus, she thought. It was not always easy to get through one of his foul moods, if indeed he was in one at the moment because of her. Probably, she thought with a wince. But all she merely said was, "I will."

Harry smiled and the talk turned to other subjects.

Eventually it was time for the other students to depart Hogwarts, their luggage having been transported to the station. Of course this meant an opportunity for last minute photos in front of Hogwarts, many of the students teary-eyed or pretending that they really had something in their eyes they had to wipe.

As they were being transported across the lake the resident squid followed the boats, waving tentacles at one point in an almost mournful manner, which made Hermione's mother gasp and take a few drops of a medicinal bottle from her handbag to 'calm her nerves' even after Hermione explained the squid meant no harm….

"Don't forget to owl me in the holidays, all right!" Lavender said fiercely to Hermione as she hugged her at the station platform. Neville, Parvati and some of the other seventh-years had come up to Hermione as well to say goodbye since she wouldn't be travelling back on the train with them.

"I won't," Hermione promised, smiling.

"Don't let Snape push you around either!"

"Lavender!" Hermione said half-scolding, giving her a final hug.

There was a faint clearing of a throat and Hermione turned to see Ron standing nearby, a guarded look on his face.

"I guess this is goodbye, then," Ron said stiffly.

"Yes," Hermione said with regret in her voice. She remembered how in her early years at Hogwarts they had vowed that nothing would come between them. Life had seemed so simple in those days even amongst the adventures they had been plunged into. They would stay good friends forever. Gryffindors were always the good guys. Snape was a nasty, probably evil, professor. But life hadn't stayed confined to such predictions and Hermione sensed it would probably be a while before she saw Ron again.

"I'm sorry it didn't work out between us, but we did have some good times, didn't we?" Hermione said softly.

After a moment Ron said shortly, "Yeah, we did." He coughed and then held out a hand. "For old times sake, then."

Knowing that there would be no hug from him Hermione reached out and shook his hand in return. "All the best, Ron." She could see there was a refusal on his face to wish the woman who was going to marry the Potions Master similar wishes, but then he overcame it and said gruffly, "Yeah, you too," before he turned and walked back to his waiting family, Mrs Weasley having given Hermione narrow-eyed looks.

"See you later, Hermione," Harry said cheerfully, giving her a hug before he went after Ron.

Saying farewell to her parents was both awkward for Hermione as she saw them to a door of the train. She sensed that there was ambivalence on her parents part – that they weren't completely happy to be leaving Hermione here but also relieved as well that they were doing so.

"Well – goodbye, Hermione," her father said awkwardly. "Don't forget to write and ah, stay away from 'great battles' will you? You could get hurt."

"Yes, do try and behave yourself, Hermione," her mother said anxiously. "Don't let us down. Remember you're engaged now – you can't act like a child anymore."

Hermione smiled a trifle stiffly. "There's no need to worry," she replied.

This would have been the point at which parents and child embraced, but Hermione found herself unwilling to make the first move. Then there was a whistle from the train to indicate that the time to leave was approaching and her mother said quickly, "It's time to go – we can't let the train leave without us, can we Richard?"

"No, we can't," her father said jovially. Her mother gave Hermione a quick, bright smile then hurried into the train, her father giving her a last nod before following his wife.

"Goodbye, Hermione!" she heard Neville call to her from a nearby window on the train and Hermione waved, stepping back away from the crowds of people hastening onto the train. She felt oddly bereft to be left on the platform, to be waving goodbye to her friends. She was pleased though to see the last of Draco, who had slouched onto the train in a sullen mood. Once everyone was on board the train gave a final whistle and pulled away from the station.

Within minutes the train was a rapidly shrinking dot in the distance and then it was gone, leaving the platform empty but for Hermione and Hagrid, who had waved vigorously at the receding train, sniffling.

Hagrid blew his nose with a loud 'honk' and then peered down at her. "I hate seein' students leave 'n such, but I'm glad yer staying on Hermione, 'n Harry too. Best wishes ter yeh and the professor – I knew there was somethin' between the two of yeh that day of that snow fight. Never thought t'would go far but I was wrong, I was."

Hermione couldn't help but turn pink at the memory of that snowball fight which had led to both her and Severus lying on the snow, kissing for the first time.

"Thanks, Hagrid," she said softly wishing there was a way she could repay him for all the kindnesses he had shown to her over the years. Then she paused – there was one thing she could do. "Hagrid, do you want me to Apparate us both to Hogwarts? It will save time."

The half-giant blinked and peered down at her bracelet of which he had heard interesting things about. He didn't trust Slytherin artefacts but if a clever witch like young Hermione was willing to trust it, then he would too.

"That's kind of yeh, Hermione," he said gruffly. "Fine by me. Can yeh take me back to me hut? Babies need feedin'."

Hermione decided not to ask what kind of 'babies' he was referring to and taking his arm Apparated them both to the clearing outside Hagrid's hut.

Hagrid looked around in surprise and then beamed down at her. "Thanks, Hermione. How 'bout I put onna pot of tea for us?"

"Perhaps another time," Hermione said with a smile.

Hagrid nodded cheerfully down at her and then lumbered into his hut.

Hermione turned and walked away. Only a few hours ago Hogwarts had been filled with a multitude of people, but now that the students had departed, quietness lay like a blanket over the ancient castle. Hermione's footsteps sounded unnaturally loud as she walked over the cobblestones of the main courtyard and up to the steps that led inside. She could have easily Apparated into the Gryffindor Tower but was reluctant to use the bracelet in the place of walking unless for certain reasons - her parents had advocated the benefits of exercise as well as a healthy diet. Her parents….she wished that she could have been the right kind of daughter for them. But attempting to be that 'perfect' daughter would have meant giving up what she truly was.

She thought of the conflict Severus had had with his parents, his father especially, in the effort to be himself. She felt a fresh surge of guilt over the way she had been harsh to Severus before – he had only wanted to comfort her in his own way as she had tried to comfort him after his father had disowned him. No doubt he had withdrawn to the dungeons by now – the sooner she went down there, the sooner she would be able to make amends.

All was quiet within Hogwarts, rays of sunshine casting a warm, gentle light upon the young woman in her formal black robes as she hurried up the marble stairs. Once she reached the entrance to the Gryffindor Tower the Pink Lady looked at her fondly. "Password, my dear. It will be sad to see you leave my tower like the others."

Touched, Hermione smiled at the portrait. " 'Coconut Ice'. Thanks, I will miss you too."

The door opened and she walked through into the tower. She came to an abrupt stop when she saw the tall figure of Severus standing in front of the empty fireplace, who turned to look at her with glinting eyes. It was disconcerting in a way to see him in here for the first time within the homely comfort of her common room, his dark robes pooling over the worn carpet like ink.

"How did you get in?" she said, startled, before she flushed. Of course, the Heads of the various houses would have passwords to override the current ones to the towers in case of emergencies…..

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Through the door, as one does," he said sardonically, watching her.

"You would have an override password, of course………..I'm sorry for what I said before" Hermione said repentantly and going up to Severus embraced him. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

Severus did not move for a moment but then relented, putting an arm around her waist and holding her against him. Hermione's harsh words earlier had unexpectedly stung, with the all too familiar feeling of being rejected rising up within him.

 "Did you think I would not understand?" he said softly.

"It wasn't that – I was upset at the time," Hermione admitted.

"Obviously……but do not shut me out again, Hermione," he asserted but she heard a hint of pain underneath that he couldn't quite hide.

"I won't," she promised, laying her head against his chest.

"Now, I believe that you owe me an answer. What had your parents said to you?" he inquired softly.

Hermione hesitated and for a moment there was a lump in her throat. When she spoke it seemed to Severus that it came from far away. "I'm a 'freak' to them."

She felt his cool, strong hand tilt her chin so that she looked up at him. "Do you think you are a freak, then?" he demanded.

"No, of course not," Hermione said, startled.

"Would you call me……or any of your friends a freak?" he continued.

"No," Hermione said vehemently. "Having powers doesn't make us less human. But the way my parents looked at me too……it hurt," she said quietly.

Without words Severus effortlessly picked her up and sat down in one of the over-stuffed chairs, feeling a wave of protectiveness sweep over him as he held his sad Hermione close to him. "Both of us are not fortunate in the parents we have, it seems, but we are not our parents. Remember that," he said softly though he was angry at the insensitivity of her parents…...perhaps it had been well that she had not told him before for he would have had a few uncivil words with them. Hermione nodded and snuggled against him.

"I love you Severus," she whispered. "What would I do without you?"

The words came easily to his mouth. "I love you too, Hermione. And what would I do without you, hmm?" he murmured. "You brighten my day just by being in it."

When Hermione turned her face to his and kissed him tenderly, he returned the kiss with equal tenderness, then deepening it, cupping her face with a hand.

When they drew apart he said, "I think we have stayed here long enough," he said softly. Hermione glanced around the common room. "Yes, it's time to go," she said with a hint of wistfulness in her voice.

Severus could not say that the design of the common room was to his tastes, being obviously designed by idealistic, glory-hunting Gryffindors, but looking through her eyes for a moment he could see how it would appeal to her.

"Does this mean you are not looking forward to residing with me?" he questioned, though there was a gleam in his eyes. "Truly, you wound me……"

Hermione smiled and kissed him quickly. "Yes, I do. I am looking forward to it. In fact, I'm packed and ready," she said, waving towards her bag.

"With cat, I see," Severus observed, looking at her over-sized ginger cat who had been eyeing him closely as if it wasn't sure if Severus was a friend or foe.

"You don't mind, do you?" Hermione said eagerly. "He's house-trained and everything."

"Very well," Severus conceded with a sigh. "As long as he doesn't yowl at 5:00 in the morning."

"Of course not!" she said indignantly. She got up and then knelt down beside her bag, retrieving a tiny bag from within it that when restored to its right size, contained a travelling container for her cat. At Severus' raised eyebrow she explained that unfortunately Apparating didn't agree with Crookshanks, remembering the time she had tried as an experiment. Her cat had promptly gone underneath her bed, hissing when she had tried to console him.

Once her cat was in the container she picked it up as well as her bag, and taking a last glance around the common room lifted her chin and smiled at her fiancée. "Let's go," she said firmly.

Once they had both left the tower, Hermione was acutely aware that a phase of her life had ended and she let it go with gentleness. Life from now on for her could surely only be described as interesting.

"You know, we should have a holiday," Hermione mused as they walked down the stairs.

 "It is the end of the year. The students have left." There was the unspoken implication of thank God in that last remark. "Is there a part of this that does not indicate 'holiday' to you?" Severus said dryly to her, concealing the fact from Hermione that when he looked sideways at her he was thinking mine, mine, all mine!

"What I meant was a holiday away from Hogwarts," Hermione explained. "Not right now, of course, but later on. There's plenty of time before the new school year starts." After what they had been through she was definitely feeling the need for both of them to get away for a while.

"In the Muggle world, you mean? I try and avoid those kind of holidays," Severus said warily as they crossed the Entrance Hall to the staircase that led down into his domain. End of year holidays for him usually meant he could spend the time in the peace and quiet of his dungeons, or at his own castle. The thought came to him that he had never shown her his own private home - it was not as ostentatious as Hogwarts but it suited his purposes. He found he liked the idea of showing her around his castle, adding her own touch as indeed he was curious as to how his quarters would reflect her presence in it from now on. But please, he thought with some wariness, don't let her cat be one that shed hair all over the furniture……

"I'm sure you would like it if we went together," Hermione said with a hint of wistfulness. "Just think of all the places we could go and see."

"The various barbarities of Western civilisation, you mean?" he said dryly.

"I meant places like libraries, museums, galleries…….movie theatres," she said with a smile. She could easily see him wearing a long, elegant coat over his shirt and trousers (convincing him to do this would be interesting).

"Movie theatres? I have never felt the urge to see one of those….moving pictures, thank you."

"I'm sure you'd enjoy it," Hermione said firmly.

"Hmphf," he said.

By now they had passed into his office and they stopped at the door that led into his quarters. He paused to look down at her. "Perhaps there is merit to what you say, Hermione" he said grudgingly and couldn't help but smile at the look of happiness in her eyes. "As always, you are determined to turn my life upside down," he said softly as he opened the door.

"But for now…..welcome home."

A/N: Technically this is the end of the story, but it will be followed by an epilogue. I'm not sure if there will be a sequel, as I feel the need to write some short S/H stories again. We'll see!

A/N: As to Hermione's parents I decided it would be part Dumbledore 'smoothing' things for his own reasons and her parents wanting in the end to stay at a distance from the daughter they fear – I'm not a believer in completely happy endings!