Disclaimer: not mine; they belong to J.K. Rowling. But I do like to play with them.

A/N: sorry for the wait, but I've been busy. Here's the much-anticipated next chapter. Thanks for being patient with me and please review.

: P

Hermione was awestruck at what she had done when she was with Snape the night the Dark Lord had been defeated. She had no idea what she had in her and it scared her. Unfortunately, her husband misunderstood her grief. She knew he thought it was his fault, but for some reason she just could not tell him that it was not. The whole frightening reality of their fateful night was too strong for her to deal with on top of her first time with her husband. She could not do anything but cry. It was painful. Almost too painful. What she had done was completely and utterly atrocious. She never even considered that she had it in her to do any of that, but she could. Hermione wondered if Severus ever felt that way about the things that lay in his past. She knew some of his story, but she had no intention to press for more until they moved past the brick wall that had firmly built itself between them now.

Hermione sat with her knees to her chest for what felt like days. She knew it was only hours and that she would have to come out eventually, but she needed some time to process everything. This was something with which she needed time of her own to deal. Also, she feared what Severus would be like if she crossed his path too early. He was a classic example of an introvert in every way, and she was not about to get on his bad side by interrupting him early. So she waited, processed, and cried some more. Finally, it all began to be too much. She was going in an endless circle of self-pity that she needed to get away from. Also, she became aware of Dumbledore's presence with her husband. His voice was obvious. She was going to give him a piece of her mind. The headmaster had simply gone too far this time. She was going to be sure he knew it.

"Hermione, are you all right?" Dumbledore asked as he rose to greet her.

She pushed past the headmaster and walked over to her husband. "Severus, there's no need to yell. I'm just as upset as you, but he couldn't have known this would happen. None of us knew." She then turned to Dumbledore. This was it. She mustered her courage and said, "Headmaster, please leave. You have no right to be here at the moment. You have meddled in someone else's business." Hermione was aware that both men were staring at her. She pushed on, not really sure what else to do. In less than two days, she married and had sex with a professor and talked back to the headmaster. If she was going to be expelled, she figured she might as well finish what she had on her mind. "I speak to you not as a student, but as the wife of one of your employees. Please respect our personal space. If this marriage is to work and be believable, Severus and I need our own space without interruptions from anyone, including you."

Shock was written all over both men's faces, but Hermione knew she was right and it seemed Headmaster Dumbledore did too. He turned to leave, but her guilt got the better of her. "Headmaster," Hermione called, "I'm sorry."

"It is I who is sorry, Miss, Lady Snape. Allow me to make arrangements with the house elves for your dinner."

"Thank you, Headmaster. It is much appreciated."

"Good night, Lord and Lady Snape."

Hermione watched Severus cringe at the use of his official title. She actually thought it was kind of sweet that he did not approve of it. "Good night, Albus," he called as the door closed. Turning to Hermione, he said, "Thank you for your help."

"Your welcome. We'll talk more after dinner, okay? I need to take a bath right now." She needed to wash all the pain and guilt away. She watched it peel off her body as she bathed, taking her time to be sure every last bit of suffering was gone. Hermione felt refreshed after her bath. Her head finally stopped throbbing from all the thoughts that were running through it. She dressed casually and made her way to the chair in which Severus sat. But she was saddened by what she saw: a broken desperate man who she wanted to do nothing more than comfort. She beckoned Severus to his feet and simply held him as he softly sobbed and whispered, "I'm so sorry" in her ear. Hermione only held him tighter showing him everything would be okay. At least, that was the message she hoped she was sending.

It was several minutes before Severus began to push himself away from Hermione. He knew he had been forgiven, but it seemed she had felt the same. Their connection was a strange one, and neither was really sure how to interpret things, especially unfamiliar situations. "Hermione?"

"Yes?"

"I, well, I just hope this isn't going to cause anymore trouble. I just, well, I really am sorry for what happened."

"I know, Severus," she replied. "I'm sorry too. This whole ordeal is one big mess. However, I do feel that we are making progress here. Are we okay?" she inquired.

"Yes, we'll be okay. At least, we will be as long as we don't let everyone bother us."

Hermione smiled as a head poked through the fireplace. It was Dobby with their dinner.

"Dobby thought Lord and Lady would be ready to eat. Dobby bring food," the house elf said.

Severus looked at Hermione indicating she should take care of the elf. She nodded and said, "Thank you Dobby. Please set it on the table."

"Yes, Lady Hermione." The elf did as he was told and left as quickly as he came.

Severus, in the meanwhile, disappeared into the bedroom. He reappeared several minutes later, changed into more comfortable clothing. Hermione smiled at her husband's attire. It amused her to no end to know that he really did dress in more than formal black school clothes once in awhile. She was pretty sure she was one of few people to actually know that fact too.

Severus pulled out a chair and motioned for Hermione to sit. "Shall we, my dear?" he inquired softly.

"Yes, we shall. Thank you, Severus," Hermione responded reassuringly.

They sat in silence with their thoughts throughout dinner. Finally, when all the food had been consumed, Hermione said, "I want you to know that I don't blame you for any of this. I may have mentioned that before, but things are different now. I know this is not your fault or mine alone, but rather both of ours in a way. At the same time, it's not though." She smiled and looked down at her hands realizing she had begun to babble. "Is this making any sense?"

"I know what you mean, Hermione. And I agree. Neither of us is strictly to blame alone or together, but at the same time we both perpetuated it." They were both quiet for several minutes, not looking at each other. To end the awkward silence, Severus said, "Things change the minute we leave this room. I hope we are both prepared for it. Considering what we've been through today, I'd say we're well equipped to deal with whatever comes our way." Hermione simply nodded in response. Severus could tell she was nervous about what was to come. Hogwarts students could be cruel, and the present state of Hermione's affairs assured she would be the brunt of many jokes. "Hermione, you will let me know when something needs to be dealt with, won't you?"

She appreciated his concern. "Severus, I can't promise that. I need to be able to do this myself. It'll look better if I stick up for myself than if you do. In the long run, it'll be better . . . I hope," she added quietly. She felt Severus' hand grab hers and grip it tightly. He ran his thumb across her knuckles lightly. "Thank you," she responded.

The two stood and walked over to the couch. Severus used his wand to light a fire, and he just held Hermione. As foreign as it felt to have her in his arms, he knew it was the right thing to do. He had found his place. She was what he had been looking for all those years he tried to hide behind the Dark Mark. She was his salvation.

End Chapter 14