Author's Note: Well, this is it guys! End of story. This has been a
scary little ride for me. This story has been a lot more personal than
anything I've ever posted before. To my reviewers, thank you for being so
sensitive and supportive throughout in your constructive criticism as well
as your praise. I can't thank you enough for giving me the courage to
finish the damn thing! Special thanks to my regular reviewers - you know
who you are! I appreciate the time you've taken to share your thoughts
along the way and you've had a big influence on how the story was shaped.
I am going to go back through my reviewers' profiles and read all your
Snape stories, now that I have the time. So watch out for my reviews over
the next few weeks. Once again, thank you.
Epilogue "He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me" Psalm 55:18 "weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." Psalm 30:5
It was around 10pm by the time Dumbledore had debriefed everyone and all the liberated prisoners had been transported to the wizarding hospital near the Muggle city of York. Dumbledore took Hermione by one hand and Draco by the other, and apparated them both to Hogwarts with Snape following. They settled into Dumbledore's office with mugs of thick, satisfying soup as none of them had eaten since they left Hogwarts that morning.
Dumbledore had not seemed surprised to see Draco when he had arrived flanked by Hermione and Snape. He had not even been surprised to see the Dark Mark on his arm. He had merely smiled gently at the boy and invited him to join them at Hogwarts. An invitation which Draco accepted with unusual gratitude. She half listened to the conversation.
"You do not wish to return to your parents?" Dumbledore asked Draco gravely.
"No Sir. I never want to see them again," Draco said with a firmness that surprised Hermione. "My parents were part of Voldemort's inner circle. They knew about those. those. camps," he paused, struggling to contain his emotions. "I didn't know until last night. I was determined to see for myself and when I did," he paused again and shook his head. "I want nothing to do with them," he said hoarsely. "I know they won't change even now. They'll wait until he rises again and then it will all start again. I want no part of it."
Hermione suddenly had a small dose of sympathy for the boy although she still didn't like him. After all, he'd called her 'mudblood' for seven years and behaved like a git all that time.
"You're still not of age so you will have to divorce your parents, Draco. That's a grave thing. Are you prepared to take that step?" Dumbledore cautioned.
"Yes Sir," came the unhesitating answer.
"Severus, are you willing to act as his guardian for six weeks until he turns eighteen?" Dumbledore asked.
"Yes Professor," Snape answered immediately, his hawk-like features tense with the stress of the last two days.
"Well, you've got a much better attitude about being a guardian to your little pet than you did me!" Hermione snapped scowling, suddenly waking up at this development.
"Snape is your guardian?" Draco said in surprise. "But everyone was saying."
"I am quite well aware of what everyone was saying," Hermione cut him off sharply, still glowering at Snape who glared back. Dumbledore was beginning to wish that Snape and Hermione would keep their domestics to themselves.
Snape felt it unfair of Hermione. After all, he only felt confident about Draco now because of his experience with her. Also, Draco was a boy very much like Snape had been in many ways and Snape understood him. On top of all that, Draco did not give him hard-ons which certainly made the whole concept of being a guardian easier to deal with for him; a lot easier. He shot Hermione a quelling look which was met with an even fiercer glare. Snape gave up.
Hermione began to fall asleep after that. She hadn't slept in the past thirty-six hours and didn't cope well with sleep deprivation. Against the background of three quiet male voices, she fell asleep on her chair.
* * *
She woke up the next morning in a familiar room. It was the one she'd spent her last few days at Hogwarts in. It held strange memories for her now but the morning sun streaming in the window put paid to any gloomy thoughts. She was still a bit tired so she stumbled to the marble bathroom she'd used before hoping to wake herself up. She was still wearing the clothes she'd changed into the previous morning but these were now covered in heather and mud too from the day's activities on the moor. After a good long swim in the bath, she went back to her room to find Dobby waiting for her.
"Good morning, miss. Dobby is bringing your breakfast, miss. Wishing you a happy birthday, miss," he said, beaming all over his ugly, little face. Hermione got a shock. Of course it was her birthday! Her 18th birthday! She had a party to finish preparing, she realised with a start.
"Thank you Dobby!" I can't stop for breakfast. I've got a million things to do before tonight," she said and kissed Dobby on the head before using the fireplace in her room to floo home.
* * *
Hermione's party was at the Three Broomsticks. Rosmerta had let her have the main room with a bar tab for the night. Everyone was there by 7pm except Harry who was playing in Wales that night. He had sent a funny owl with a gift.
Hermione had sent a last minute invitation to Draco via owl too but she doubted he'd come to a Gryffinfor dominated gathering so soon after everything that had happened in his life. She suspected he would need a lot of space over the next few months to adjust.
The place was packed to the gunwales by 8pm and the live band was pleasantly deafening. By 10pm, Hermione was happily tipsy, and dancing with Dean and Seamus. Ron was snogging with Padma in a corner, George and Pandora were sitting at a table holding hands, Lavendar was with some Hogsbridge guy and Ginny was hanging out with Parvati, Bill and Charlie in Harry's absence. Other Hogsbridge and Hogwarts friends were crowding the dance floor or sitting in the booths. Quite a number were in the alley snogging.
By midnight the crowd still hadn't thinned and the band was louder, if anything. Seamus tapped her on the shoulder as she was sitting in a booth talking to Padma and Ginny and Parvati. "Lover boy is here to see you," he murmured insinuatingly in her ear, obviously alluding to the memorable game of spin the bottle. She looked up and spotted Snape in a shadowy corner, trying to hide. She shook her head at Seamus with an amused smile but didn't rise to the bait of his teasing.
"Can we go somewhere quieter?" Snape hissed when she went over. He was looking distinctly irritated by the crowd and noise.
She nodded and took him outside to the alley. "Dark and deserted, just the way you like it." She teased affectionately. His arms snaked around her and he pulled her against him in a searing kiss. Hermione was just inebriated enough not to register surprise and so leaned against him, responding with the same amount of heat. Finally he let go of her to catch his breath.
"I wish you'd done that sooner," she sighed, her eyes half-closed.
He smiled grimly. "I didn't dare before now," he admitted.
"Why now?" She asked, the alcohol confusing her thinking a bit.
"Hermione, you've now turned eighteen. I'm no longer your guardian," he reminded her, his dark eyes glittering down at her in the dimly lit alley.
Her eyes widened. Of course! How could she have forgotten? "In that case," she said with a smile, raising her face to his. He didn't need a second hint.
He lifted his mouth from hers again finally, just far enough to rasp, "Can we get a room at this damn place?"
"Uh huh," Hermione said, waiting impatiently for the next kiss.
"I mean now!" He clarified decisively, his breathing jagged.
"Oh yes, that can be arranged," she purred and led him inside through the back way, away from the curious eyes of the party crowd to fetch a key from Rosmerta.
* * *
Despite Hermione's earlier misgivings, she'd come out top of her class in the four subjects she'd taken at Hogsbridge that first semester. She had sold her parents' home soon after her eighteenth birthday party and bought a cottage on the outskirts of Hogsborough, a wizarding town near Hogsmeade and thus close to Hogsbridge and Hogwarts too.
Snape was still teaching at Hogwarts and the atmosphere there was more relaxed now that reports of Voldemort had disappeared. Hermione didn't understand why Snape still taught but she guessed it was out of obligation to Dumbledore. A man as wealthy as Snape had no need to work and a man as brilliant as Snape must find teaching at such an elementary level very frustrating. No wonder he was so impatient with us, Hermione thought.
There was one difference however. Snape no longer spent all his free time in his dungeons making potions and experimenting. Those times were now spent at Hermione's cottage. It was a comfortable walk or short broomstick ride from Hogwarts to her cottage. Having been a very recent Head Girl, Hermione did not feel comfortable visiting him at Hogwarts but she knew that could change over time and Snape was happier seeing her at her cottage anyway.
The morning after her eighteenth birthday, Snape had given her a birthday present. It was a heavy gold ring set with a magnificent garnet. "Is it a family ring?" She'd asked curiously, looking at the beautiful thing from all sides.
Snape looked shocked. "No! I'd never give you any of those tainted things," he said firmly.
"They're not tainted, Severus" she said gently, trying to soothe him.
"It reminds me of the black unicorn; the gold and the red. Just like the unicorn's eyes," he explained, holding the ring up to the light in her hands. "It's inscribed too," he added, indicating the inside of the ring. Once more, Hermione was momentarily hypnotised by the beauty of his pale, exquisite hands.
"Mizpah," she read and looked at him questioningly.
"It's ancient Hebrew. It means, 'God watch between thee and me'," he translated seriously, watching her with his dark, shadowed eyes. The expression in them suddenly reminded her of the first Severus Snape and how he had looked at Hermatica.
Hermione looked at him with full eyes. It was really quite an indecent length of time before they left the room Rosmerta had given them the previous night.
* * *
Draco and Hermione became friends, in a strange twist of fate. Snape had asked her to look after him a bit during this difficult time in his life and Hermione had reluctantly agreed. To her surprise she liked the new, more humble version of Draco. Not very humble, it was hardly Draco's style but he seemed to realise that maybe everything he'd been taught growing up was wrong. The sudden change in perspective put him off balance, and made him more human and bearable.
Draco's parents had been put in Azkaban soon after the underground camp was dismantled. As a minor at the time he had defected, Draco was safe from that fate. As a result, he'd inherited all the Malfoy wealth. He was unable to enjoy it at the time, still reeling from his universe being tipped on its head.
Draco was bright and had been accepted into Hogsbridge too but had deferred only weeks into the first semester when Voldemort was defeated and he had gone on to divorce his parents. He'd spent the remainder of the semester helping dismantle the Dark Arts store in his family home and taking long walks on his estate, planning the changes he was going to make to his life.
One afternoon, Hermione had a new friend she'd made at Hogsbridge visiting her at her cottage. Luna had been at Beauxbatons although she was English, as her parents were diplomats of some sort over in France. Luna was dark haired, green eyed and pale skinned, and Hermione was not too sure what to make of her although she liked her.
When Draco dropped by the same afternoon, Hermione saw the sudden predatory gleam in Luna's eye with a bit of concern. Trouble was, she acknowledged, that she didn't know whether to warn Luna about Draco or warn Draco about Luna. Maybe they were well-suited after all, she mused when she saw an identical predatory look light up Draco's face when he saw the girl.
When Snape had come by later that night and saw the two of them together, he looked mildly alarmed and glanced questioningly at Hermione. She just shrugged. He'd heard enough about Luna from Hermione to panic mildly about her joining forces with Draco but he bit his tongue. Some matters were not the province of guardians, he decided.
* * *
A year after Hermione's parents' death and leaving Hogwarts, Hermione attended Harry's first World Cup final. Hermione and Snape had decided to make it their first public outing as a couple. Of course, Hermione's friends and the Hogwarts teachers had known soon after her eighteenth birthday but no-one else knew about their relationship. They sat in the stands together with Ginny and the other Weasleys, Draco and Luna, Parvati, Lavendar, Ron and Padma, Seamus and Dean, various other Hogsbridge friends, Remus, the Hogwarts' teachers including Dumbledore, and various girlfriends and boyfriends and hangers on.
It was a glorious day; perfectly clear, blue skies and a light, fragrant breeze. Hermione couldn't resist buying a miniature Harry much to Snape's disgust. The little figure paced nervously across her palm and grinned lop- sidedly at her from time to time, looking so much like the real Harry that Hermione was fascinated. Most of her friends had bought one too. Snape scowled and contented himself with a scarf of England's colours. Ron's rosette yelled, "Potter, Wood," and the other team members' names until Snape wanted to hex it.
England was playing Brazil and half the stands were emblazoned in their colours of red, yellow and green. England's pale blue and white looked a bit wishy washy against it.
The minute Harry and the team appeared, they all stood and cheered. Harry turned and looked up at them all, a big grin on his face. Hermione was beside herself with excitement and adjusted her omnoculurs to get a better look.
The game was only a couple of hours long. Both seekers were too good for it to be one of those historical, marathon matches that never end for months. It was a close run thing to who caught the snitch in the end. Harry saw it first but the Brazilian seeker was viciously fast on his broom and nearly caught him; nearly but not quite. Harry caught the snitch just in time and the stands went mad. The blue and silver fairy cheer squad lead a team of lion and unicorn mascots out onto the field in celebration of England's victory. Hermione jumped around and screamed. Even Snape cracked a smile. She hugged Ron on her one side and then practically mobbed Snape on the other. Snape didn't mind.
The party that night was at the Leaky Cauldron. Hermione had not been so content and happy for a long time. She'd duxed her first year at Hogsbridge and finally settled on a Magical Research and Development career path.
While Snape was having a drink with Professor Vector and Professor Hooch, Hermione shared a quiet moment with just Harry and Ron. "You're a great wizard Harry," she said with a mixture of teasing and seriousness, deliberately repeating something she had said to him on their first foray into danger.
"You defeated Voldemort this time," he reminded her.
"Not me. Snape," she corrected gently.
"You forced Snape to," Ron said. Both boys knew the full story by then.
"He'll come back," Hermione said, suddenly grave. She knew that a dark time could easily come back to the wizarding world during her lifetime but it seemed a long way off to the almost-nineteen-year-old.
"We'll be ready for him," Harry said, his young face hardening.
"Yes, we will." Ron agreed. The three joined hands. They'd shared too much danger and too many adventures for anyone else to intrude on the bond they had with each other. It was an exclusive one. "So, when are you and Snape getting married?" Ron teased finally.
"Yeah, we want to see what a baby Snape looks like," Harry joked.
"We do?" Ron asked, looking disturbed at the thought.
"When you two propose to Ginny and Padma," Hermione said smartly with a grin.
"Nearly nineteen is too young to be getting married," Ron argued.
"Yes, it is." A cool voice drawled. Hermione smiled up at Snape. "Are you ready to go now or would you like to stay on?" He asked her quietly. It was 3am so Hermione said goodbye to Harry and Ron. Harry was fading fast anyway. He'd never been one for late nights.
Just before they both apparated to Hermione's cottage, Hermione having got her apparating license just weeks after her eighteenth birthday, Snape looked down at her and said, "Happy?"
She nodded. "Happy." She replied and squeezed his hand gently.
She didn't think the black unicorn would be making an appearance again for a long, long time.
FINIS
A/N - Some people have asked me lately whether this story has a sequel. The answer is 'yes'. It is called 'For Love is as Strong as Death'. There is also another sequel from Draco's perspective called 'The Times of Restoration'. These can be found by either searching under the titles or by clicking on my author name which will take you into my Profile where there are links to these stories.
Epilogue "He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me" Psalm 55:18 "weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." Psalm 30:5
It was around 10pm by the time Dumbledore had debriefed everyone and all the liberated prisoners had been transported to the wizarding hospital near the Muggle city of York. Dumbledore took Hermione by one hand and Draco by the other, and apparated them both to Hogwarts with Snape following. They settled into Dumbledore's office with mugs of thick, satisfying soup as none of them had eaten since they left Hogwarts that morning.
Dumbledore had not seemed surprised to see Draco when he had arrived flanked by Hermione and Snape. He had not even been surprised to see the Dark Mark on his arm. He had merely smiled gently at the boy and invited him to join them at Hogwarts. An invitation which Draco accepted with unusual gratitude. She half listened to the conversation.
"You do not wish to return to your parents?" Dumbledore asked Draco gravely.
"No Sir. I never want to see them again," Draco said with a firmness that surprised Hermione. "My parents were part of Voldemort's inner circle. They knew about those. those. camps," he paused, struggling to contain his emotions. "I didn't know until last night. I was determined to see for myself and when I did," he paused again and shook his head. "I want nothing to do with them," he said hoarsely. "I know they won't change even now. They'll wait until he rises again and then it will all start again. I want no part of it."
Hermione suddenly had a small dose of sympathy for the boy although she still didn't like him. After all, he'd called her 'mudblood' for seven years and behaved like a git all that time.
"You're still not of age so you will have to divorce your parents, Draco. That's a grave thing. Are you prepared to take that step?" Dumbledore cautioned.
"Yes Sir," came the unhesitating answer.
"Severus, are you willing to act as his guardian for six weeks until he turns eighteen?" Dumbledore asked.
"Yes Professor," Snape answered immediately, his hawk-like features tense with the stress of the last two days.
"Well, you've got a much better attitude about being a guardian to your little pet than you did me!" Hermione snapped scowling, suddenly waking up at this development.
"Snape is your guardian?" Draco said in surprise. "But everyone was saying."
"I am quite well aware of what everyone was saying," Hermione cut him off sharply, still glowering at Snape who glared back. Dumbledore was beginning to wish that Snape and Hermione would keep their domestics to themselves.
Snape felt it unfair of Hermione. After all, he only felt confident about Draco now because of his experience with her. Also, Draco was a boy very much like Snape had been in many ways and Snape understood him. On top of all that, Draco did not give him hard-ons which certainly made the whole concept of being a guardian easier to deal with for him; a lot easier. He shot Hermione a quelling look which was met with an even fiercer glare. Snape gave up.
Hermione began to fall asleep after that. She hadn't slept in the past thirty-six hours and didn't cope well with sleep deprivation. Against the background of three quiet male voices, she fell asleep on her chair.
* * *
She woke up the next morning in a familiar room. It was the one she'd spent her last few days at Hogwarts in. It held strange memories for her now but the morning sun streaming in the window put paid to any gloomy thoughts. She was still a bit tired so she stumbled to the marble bathroom she'd used before hoping to wake herself up. She was still wearing the clothes she'd changed into the previous morning but these were now covered in heather and mud too from the day's activities on the moor. After a good long swim in the bath, she went back to her room to find Dobby waiting for her.
"Good morning, miss. Dobby is bringing your breakfast, miss. Wishing you a happy birthday, miss," he said, beaming all over his ugly, little face. Hermione got a shock. Of course it was her birthday! Her 18th birthday! She had a party to finish preparing, she realised with a start.
"Thank you Dobby!" I can't stop for breakfast. I've got a million things to do before tonight," she said and kissed Dobby on the head before using the fireplace in her room to floo home.
* * *
Hermione's party was at the Three Broomsticks. Rosmerta had let her have the main room with a bar tab for the night. Everyone was there by 7pm except Harry who was playing in Wales that night. He had sent a funny owl with a gift.
Hermione had sent a last minute invitation to Draco via owl too but she doubted he'd come to a Gryffinfor dominated gathering so soon after everything that had happened in his life. She suspected he would need a lot of space over the next few months to adjust.
The place was packed to the gunwales by 8pm and the live band was pleasantly deafening. By 10pm, Hermione was happily tipsy, and dancing with Dean and Seamus. Ron was snogging with Padma in a corner, George and Pandora were sitting at a table holding hands, Lavendar was with some Hogsbridge guy and Ginny was hanging out with Parvati, Bill and Charlie in Harry's absence. Other Hogsbridge and Hogwarts friends were crowding the dance floor or sitting in the booths. Quite a number were in the alley snogging.
By midnight the crowd still hadn't thinned and the band was louder, if anything. Seamus tapped her on the shoulder as she was sitting in a booth talking to Padma and Ginny and Parvati. "Lover boy is here to see you," he murmured insinuatingly in her ear, obviously alluding to the memorable game of spin the bottle. She looked up and spotted Snape in a shadowy corner, trying to hide. She shook her head at Seamus with an amused smile but didn't rise to the bait of his teasing.
"Can we go somewhere quieter?" Snape hissed when she went over. He was looking distinctly irritated by the crowd and noise.
She nodded and took him outside to the alley. "Dark and deserted, just the way you like it." She teased affectionately. His arms snaked around her and he pulled her against him in a searing kiss. Hermione was just inebriated enough not to register surprise and so leaned against him, responding with the same amount of heat. Finally he let go of her to catch his breath.
"I wish you'd done that sooner," she sighed, her eyes half-closed.
He smiled grimly. "I didn't dare before now," he admitted.
"Why now?" She asked, the alcohol confusing her thinking a bit.
"Hermione, you've now turned eighteen. I'm no longer your guardian," he reminded her, his dark eyes glittering down at her in the dimly lit alley.
Her eyes widened. Of course! How could she have forgotten? "In that case," she said with a smile, raising her face to his. He didn't need a second hint.
He lifted his mouth from hers again finally, just far enough to rasp, "Can we get a room at this damn place?"
"Uh huh," Hermione said, waiting impatiently for the next kiss.
"I mean now!" He clarified decisively, his breathing jagged.
"Oh yes, that can be arranged," she purred and led him inside through the back way, away from the curious eyes of the party crowd to fetch a key from Rosmerta.
* * *
Despite Hermione's earlier misgivings, she'd come out top of her class in the four subjects she'd taken at Hogsbridge that first semester. She had sold her parents' home soon after her eighteenth birthday party and bought a cottage on the outskirts of Hogsborough, a wizarding town near Hogsmeade and thus close to Hogsbridge and Hogwarts too.
Snape was still teaching at Hogwarts and the atmosphere there was more relaxed now that reports of Voldemort had disappeared. Hermione didn't understand why Snape still taught but she guessed it was out of obligation to Dumbledore. A man as wealthy as Snape had no need to work and a man as brilliant as Snape must find teaching at such an elementary level very frustrating. No wonder he was so impatient with us, Hermione thought.
There was one difference however. Snape no longer spent all his free time in his dungeons making potions and experimenting. Those times were now spent at Hermione's cottage. It was a comfortable walk or short broomstick ride from Hogwarts to her cottage. Having been a very recent Head Girl, Hermione did not feel comfortable visiting him at Hogwarts but she knew that could change over time and Snape was happier seeing her at her cottage anyway.
The morning after her eighteenth birthday, Snape had given her a birthday present. It was a heavy gold ring set with a magnificent garnet. "Is it a family ring?" She'd asked curiously, looking at the beautiful thing from all sides.
Snape looked shocked. "No! I'd never give you any of those tainted things," he said firmly.
"They're not tainted, Severus" she said gently, trying to soothe him.
"It reminds me of the black unicorn; the gold and the red. Just like the unicorn's eyes," he explained, holding the ring up to the light in her hands. "It's inscribed too," he added, indicating the inside of the ring. Once more, Hermione was momentarily hypnotised by the beauty of his pale, exquisite hands.
"Mizpah," she read and looked at him questioningly.
"It's ancient Hebrew. It means, 'God watch between thee and me'," he translated seriously, watching her with his dark, shadowed eyes. The expression in them suddenly reminded her of the first Severus Snape and how he had looked at Hermatica.
Hermione looked at him with full eyes. It was really quite an indecent length of time before they left the room Rosmerta had given them the previous night.
* * *
Draco and Hermione became friends, in a strange twist of fate. Snape had asked her to look after him a bit during this difficult time in his life and Hermione had reluctantly agreed. To her surprise she liked the new, more humble version of Draco. Not very humble, it was hardly Draco's style but he seemed to realise that maybe everything he'd been taught growing up was wrong. The sudden change in perspective put him off balance, and made him more human and bearable.
Draco's parents had been put in Azkaban soon after the underground camp was dismantled. As a minor at the time he had defected, Draco was safe from that fate. As a result, he'd inherited all the Malfoy wealth. He was unable to enjoy it at the time, still reeling from his universe being tipped on its head.
Draco was bright and had been accepted into Hogsbridge too but had deferred only weeks into the first semester when Voldemort was defeated and he had gone on to divorce his parents. He'd spent the remainder of the semester helping dismantle the Dark Arts store in his family home and taking long walks on his estate, planning the changes he was going to make to his life.
One afternoon, Hermione had a new friend she'd made at Hogsbridge visiting her at her cottage. Luna had been at Beauxbatons although she was English, as her parents were diplomats of some sort over in France. Luna was dark haired, green eyed and pale skinned, and Hermione was not too sure what to make of her although she liked her.
When Draco dropped by the same afternoon, Hermione saw the sudden predatory gleam in Luna's eye with a bit of concern. Trouble was, she acknowledged, that she didn't know whether to warn Luna about Draco or warn Draco about Luna. Maybe they were well-suited after all, she mused when she saw an identical predatory look light up Draco's face when he saw the girl.
When Snape had come by later that night and saw the two of them together, he looked mildly alarmed and glanced questioningly at Hermione. She just shrugged. He'd heard enough about Luna from Hermione to panic mildly about her joining forces with Draco but he bit his tongue. Some matters were not the province of guardians, he decided.
* * *
A year after Hermione's parents' death and leaving Hogwarts, Hermione attended Harry's first World Cup final. Hermione and Snape had decided to make it their first public outing as a couple. Of course, Hermione's friends and the Hogwarts teachers had known soon after her eighteenth birthday but no-one else knew about their relationship. They sat in the stands together with Ginny and the other Weasleys, Draco and Luna, Parvati, Lavendar, Ron and Padma, Seamus and Dean, various other Hogsbridge friends, Remus, the Hogwarts' teachers including Dumbledore, and various girlfriends and boyfriends and hangers on.
It was a glorious day; perfectly clear, blue skies and a light, fragrant breeze. Hermione couldn't resist buying a miniature Harry much to Snape's disgust. The little figure paced nervously across her palm and grinned lop- sidedly at her from time to time, looking so much like the real Harry that Hermione was fascinated. Most of her friends had bought one too. Snape scowled and contented himself with a scarf of England's colours. Ron's rosette yelled, "Potter, Wood," and the other team members' names until Snape wanted to hex it.
England was playing Brazil and half the stands were emblazoned in their colours of red, yellow and green. England's pale blue and white looked a bit wishy washy against it.
The minute Harry and the team appeared, they all stood and cheered. Harry turned and looked up at them all, a big grin on his face. Hermione was beside herself with excitement and adjusted her omnoculurs to get a better look.
The game was only a couple of hours long. Both seekers were too good for it to be one of those historical, marathon matches that never end for months. It was a close run thing to who caught the snitch in the end. Harry saw it first but the Brazilian seeker was viciously fast on his broom and nearly caught him; nearly but not quite. Harry caught the snitch just in time and the stands went mad. The blue and silver fairy cheer squad lead a team of lion and unicorn mascots out onto the field in celebration of England's victory. Hermione jumped around and screamed. Even Snape cracked a smile. She hugged Ron on her one side and then practically mobbed Snape on the other. Snape didn't mind.
The party that night was at the Leaky Cauldron. Hermione had not been so content and happy for a long time. She'd duxed her first year at Hogsbridge and finally settled on a Magical Research and Development career path.
While Snape was having a drink with Professor Vector and Professor Hooch, Hermione shared a quiet moment with just Harry and Ron. "You're a great wizard Harry," she said with a mixture of teasing and seriousness, deliberately repeating something she had said to him on their first foray into danger.
"You defeated Voldemort this time," he reminded her.
"Not me. Snape," she corrected gently.
"You forced Snape to," Ron said. Both boys knew the full story by then.
"He'll come back," Hermione said, suddenly grave. She knew that a dark time could easily come back to the wizarding world during her lifetime but it seemed a long way off to the almost-nineteen-year-old.
"We'll be ready for him," Harry said, his young face hardening.
"Yes, we will." Ron agreed. The three joined hands. They'd shared too much danger and too many adventures for anyone else to intrude on the bond they had with each other. It was an exclusive one. "So, when are you and Snape getting married?" Ron teased finally.
"Yeah, we want to see what a baby Snape looks like," Harry joked.
"We do?" Ron asked, looking disturbed at the thought.
"When you two propose to Ginny and Padma," Hermione said smartly with a grin.
"Nearly nineteen is too young to be getting married," Ron argued.
"Yes, it is." A cool voice drawled. Hermione smiled up at Snape. "Are you ready to go now or would you like to stay on?" He asked her quietly. It was 3am so Hermione said goodbye to Harry and Ron. Harry was fading fast anyway. He'd never been one for late nights.
Just before they both apparated to Hermione's cottage, Hermione having got her apparating license just weeks after her eighteenth birthday, Snape looked down at her and said, "Happy?"
She nodded. "Happy." She replied and squeezed his hand gently.
She didn't think the black unicorn would be making an appearance again for a long, long time.
FINIS
A/N - Some people have asked me lately whether this story has a sequel. The answer is 'yes'. It is called 'For Love is as Strong as Death'. There is also another sequel from Draco's perspective called 'The Times of Restoration'. These can be found by either searching under the titles or by clicking on my author name which will take you into my Profile where there are links to these stories.
