Chapter Thirteen
The next morning Severus awoke abruptly to find Hermione's elbow firmly planted in his stomach as she repositioned herself. She had wrapped herself around him, hanging on like a barnacle, her legs intertwined with his, her hair spread out everywhere, and her chin on his chest. He smiled, and carefully extricated himself. After seven years, he was quite adept at removing her without waking her. Rolling her over onto her back, he unwound his limbs from hers, and stared down at her.
For seven years and before, he had wondered why she loved him. The answer seemed a little clearer after last night. Why had he never thought to ask her before? Because he was afraid of the answer. He didn't possess her Gryffindor courage. It was that courage that had allowed her to kiss him that first time, to stay with him even when he was horribly mean and unfair to her. But she had said last night that she liked that he had called her lovely. He made her feel desirable. But she had also mentioned Percy. Something that before she had lost her memory might have filled him with a jealous rage, however, somehow last night it made sense. He got the sense that she had rather liked seeing him so incensed over her. Ironic that in trying to take Hermione away from him, Percy had given him the exact circumstances to prove his love for her. He should write the prat a thank you letter. In fact, he would do just that. A dangerous smile spread across his face.
"Accio parchment and quill," he said softly so he wouldn't wake Hermione. His owl had just flown off when Hermione awoke.
Her eyes fluttered open, and she smiled when she saw him.
"Good morning," she mumbled, her eyes drifting shut.
"It certainly is."
"And after such a pleasant evening," she said with a yawn.
"Just pleasant?" he asked with a frown. He certainly had enjoyed himself beyond just pleasantly.
"Exquisite, earth-shattering, and unforgettable. How's that for stroking your ego?" Her eyes were finally open now, and she smiled while she wiped the last vestiges of sleep from them.
"Much better."
"You're sure it doesn't need a little more stroking?" she said, reaching for him. He chuckled, grabbing her hand.
"Maybe we could eat breakfast first. I'm not a young man anymore."
"Sounds good to me," she said, sitting up and arranging her hair. He called for a house-elf, ignoring her look of disdain. He was not stirring from bed a minute before he had to today.
They ate their breakfast in bed—blueberry muffins, fruit, and yogurt--with each other as dessert.
"Let's never get out of bed," she said later a little breathless.
"Not very practical for teaching," he commented.
"How did I ever manage to ensnare such a romantic husband," she said, rolling over and looking at him, a look of mock scorn on her face.
"By sheer stubbornness, I assure you," he replied.
They spent all morning and into the afternoon in bed. Hermione summoned the Daily Prophet and read to him. They made love, napped, and then made love again. It was like their honeymoon all over again, and Severus couldn't remember a time in recent memory when he had been so relaxed or happy.
"I want to try something," he said. "I'll give you a word, and you say the first thing that pops into your head. Maybe it will trigger something." He was sitting up against the headboard with Hermione's head in his lap. She had her eyes closed and was close to purring as he ran his fingers through her hair and massaged her scalp. He hoped in her relaxed state that he would be able to bring something to the forefront of her mind.
"Okay," she sighed.
"Potions." It was the perfect start—their first and longest association with each other.
"Accident."
"I take offense at that," he said with a huff, his hand stilling.
She opened her eyes, giggling at his frown. "Well you never had to partner with Neville," she retorted.
"Fine, next word is Hogwarts."
"Harry and Ron."
"Can you pick something less offensive?" he said with a sneer.
"I thought I was supposed to say what came to mind first?" she said, sitting up and returning his glare.
"The idea is to think of something that has to do with us."
"Well then choose some words that relate only to the two of us," she said.
"Fine." He helped her lay back down and tried again. "Wedding."
"White dress," she said.
"Good." He decided to stick with this theme. "Ceremony."
"Surprise," she said, her eyes flying open. "I don't know why I said that!"
"Our wedding was a surprise. We didn't see the need to wait after I finally proposed," he said, trying to clamp down his excitement. This could be nothing, he reminded himself—a fluke. Or…or it could be everything. Maybe this would be the key to unlocking the rest. "Close your eyes and concentrate on that. What else do you remember?"
"A white dress," she said. That wasn't much to go on, almost all witches these days followed the Muggle tradition and wore white dresses. The fact that Hermione was a Muggle-born made that even more likely.
"And I had flowers in my hair." That was a little closer.
"Harry was upset." Nothing that wasn't predictable so far. Maybe they should shift their focus.
"How did I propose?" he asked.
"In the garden." His smile faded. That wasn't right. "No, no not in the garden, here, in your rooms, on the couch."
"Yes, go on," he prompted her. That was correct.
"Stay with me," he said, nuzzling her hair. She hummed with pleasure, craning her neck to look back at him.
"I believe you said you would not accept me as your bloody roommate," she retorted. She wanted nothing more in the world than to live with him, to wake up in the morning with him, to eat breakfast together and chat about their days. She wanted to come home to him, and she wanted to snuggle up next to him and fall asleep. But not as his live-in girlfriend. She wanted a show of commitment out of him.
"I won't."
"Oh." Was he playing with her?
"I don't want you as my roommate. I want you as my wife."
"What?" she gasped, turning around so suddenly that she elbowed him in the stomach.
"Marry me," he said. Her eyes brimmed with tears. It wasn't the most romantic thing she had ever heard of, but it was just the kind of proposal one would expect from Severus Snape. She stared, saying nothing for several moments so that he felt compelled to speak again, "Please."
That brought her to her senses. "Yes, Yes, of course. I love you."
He listened to her tell the story of how he had asked her to marry him.
"Is that it?" she asked, looking up to him earnestly. He nodded slowly. Hermione jumped up and squealed, "I remembered!"
He joined her, grabbing her by the waist and swinging her around. After a few glorious moments of jubilation, he sobered. "We should take you to Madam Pomfrey and see what she says."
She nodded her agreement, and they both quickly threw on some robes and made their way upstairs.
"You've remembered something?" Poppy asked astonished when she heard the news.
"Just a snippet but it's a start, isn't it?" Hermione said. She was sitting on the edge of one of the beds while the nurse ran her wand up, down, and around her with diagnostic spells.
"Everything appears to be the same as it was when I last saw you," Poppy said, furrowing her brow.
"What does that mean?" Severus growled. Why was it that medical personnel could never give anyone a straight answer?
"I don't know. I didn't think the memories were left in her head to remember, but I could have been wrong. The spell was obviously done wrong, so perhaps instead of removing the memories, it just jumbled them around and knocked them out of place. The fact that you were able to remember anything at all is very encouraging."
"Will the rest of them come back?" Hermione asked. Severus could tell she was trying very hard to rein in her excitement in case the news was less than promising.
"It's possible. But don't get your hopes up too high, missy," the nurse said, wagging her finger. "It's possible a majority of your memories were removed, in which case, you're never getting them back. But I would concentrate on what you can remember and also work on making new memories," she said with a wink in Severus' direction. He fought hard not to blush but Hermione was fighting a losing battle in that regard.
"We're already working on that," she answered, her face completely red.
"Good."
They hurried out of the infirmary. Severus didn't know whether or not he should be ecstatically happy about Hermione remembering something or angry and embarrassed that Pomfrey had pried into their private lives. He was a little of both to be sure.
"Well, shall we go make some new memories or work on remembering my old ones?" Hermione said with a giggle as they descended the main staircase.
"I don't like my private life exposed to the public eye," he answered tersely.
"So you won't be shagging me in the hall then?"
"I'm not joking, Hermione." He noticed that the portraits ears had perked up at her mention of shagging in the hall. They were lewd voyeurs, the whole lot of them!
"Madam Pomfrey is hardly the public eye, Severus. Now don't ruin what should be a glorious day by being a sourpuss."
"Fine," he said in his grouchiest voice, but she ignored it like she always had. He wondered if sometimes the reason their relationship worked was because Hermione seemed unable to read him. But then, at other times, she knew just what to say or do to make him feel better. Would she ever cease being a mystery?
"Good. Let's take a walk outside then and you can shag me by the lake."
"In this cold? Are you insane?"
&&&&&
He awoke the next morning only to have a sense that someone was looking at him. He peeked through sleep-laden eyelids to see Hermione regarding him intently.
"Are you staring at me?" he asked in a hoarse voice.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"I don't ever want to forget your face again," she answered, moving closer until they were nose to nose. He opened his eyes fully, finding himself looking straight into her brown ones. They drifted closed again, his body fighting to stay asleep. He was surprised to feel her lips brush against his own a moment later. She tasted like mint mixed with tea; apparently, she had been up already this morning.
"Mhmmm," he groaned as she pulled away.
"Go brush your teeth and we'll talk," she said.
"Talk?" It wasn't worth it if that was all they were going to be doing.
"Maybe more," she said, pushing him towards the end of the bed. He sat up and threw off the covers before she could throw him in the floor. "If you're lucky," she taunted as he made his way to the bathroom. He quickly brushed his teeth, ran a comb through his hair, and splashed some water on his face. Returning to the bedroom, he found Hermione curled back in bed reading a book.
"You wanted to talk?" Taking her book from her, he laid it on the bedside table, and pulled her close.
"Yes, I did. I think…." He didn't let her finish, pressing his mouth to hers.
"What were you saying?" he asked, kissing her neck.
"I think trailing Mahoney won't do us any good. He's probably already told Draco we're onto him. Draco will do one of two things," she said, her voice breathy. "Oh! That tickles!" He moved back up and captured her lips in his. He laid her back down on the pillows. She pulled him down on top of her, her hands fisted in his nightshirt.
"One: He'll go back to his mother. She's his only source of money," she managed while he nibbled at her ear.
"Or?" he asked, not letting her answer, kissing her deeply, his tongue exploring the familiar planes of her mouth. She grabbed his hand that had worked its way under her camisole and was stroking her stomach, and pulled it up to her breast. Surprised, he paused and looked down at her.
"Or two, he'll escape on his own," she said, quirking her eyebrow at him. Her hand rested over his, and she gave it a nudge of encouragement. He didn't need to be told a third time.
"I think you're….mmm very….astute….in…. he told her in between kisses.
"Narcissa," she gasped as he turned his attentions back to her neck, working his way down and across her collarbone while his hand massaged her breasts through her shirt. The name of another woman confused him, and he stopped abruptly.
"What?" He looked at her puzzled.
"We should probably keep an eye on her."
"Oh, yes, of course. Perhaps we should leave this discussion for a later time?" He really was too tired this morning to focus on four things at once. He wanted to think about nothing but Hermione, her mouth, her neck, and her breasts. Throwing Draco in the mix only detracted from the more pleasurable aspects of this "conversation."
"I wondered how long you would let me ramble on," she said with a smile.
"What? This was a test?"
"Of sorts." He considered that for a moment. Was he angry? He might have been in any other situation. But this time, rather he was just happy to wake up and find his wife kissing him.
"Did I pass?"
"You used to tell me to be quiet a lot sooner when I was a student," she said, pulling him back down onto her. They kissed again, this time with no interruption until the clock chimed. He looked up suddenly to see the hand pointing at "You're late." He cursed. Hermione sat up next to him.
"I'm sorry," she said. "You should hurry." Watching from the bed, she sat quietly while he threw on his robes. He stopped to steal one more quick kiss before he headed out to his first class.
"Potter," he said, turning around at the door.
"What?" She had turned back to her book already.
"Potter has Aurors watching Narcissa Malfoy's movements."
"Oh, good. And don't schedule any detentions for tomorrow night."
"Why not?" he asked, glancing at the clock again.
"We have the Annual Order of the Phoenix Reunion to go to," she said quickly. She knew he wouldn't be happy with this news.
"And you're telling me about it today?" If he were able, he would deduct points.
She shrugged her shoulders. "I forgot."
"I'm quickly tiring of that excuse."
"It would be terribly wasteful of me not to put it to good use," she retorted. Normally he might have said something cutting, but he was too late. How very convenient of her to suddenly remember after snogging him into oblivion and right before he was off to class.
"Now get to class or I'll have to deduct points from Slytherin," she said, throwing a pillow in his direction. He ducked and hurried to class.
If his students noticed his better mood that morning, they didn't say anything, but despite the prospect of a party at Order headquarters, Severus felt lighter than air and happier than he had in months.
&&&&&
The next night, Hermione and Severus Apparated as promised, but not without protest, to number twelve, Grimmauld Place. Following the laughter and chatter that drifted up from the basement kitchen, they found the room overflowing with former Order members and their families. Quite a few redheaded children ran in and out of the crowd. Dumbledore waved to them as they entered.
"Glad to see you," he said, patting Severus on the back.
Severus scowled. "You just saw me two hours ago, you doddering old fool. We were discussing curriculum changes."
"Yes, but I'm glad to see you here."
"We're happy to be here," Hermione said with a smile.
"Speak for yourself," Severus said under his breath, taking a glass of champagne from a house-elf passing by. He tried to make his way to a quiet corner where he could sulk and look dangerous, but Hermione pulled him over to see the display some idiot had erected in memoriam.
There was a large picture underneath a banner, taken one night when Dumbledore had been feeling particularly sentimental. All the Order members gathered in front of the fireplace in number twelve, Grimmauld Place, smashed into a tiny space to memorialize forever those who took upon themselves to ensure the Dark Lord's defeat. Hermione waved from the front, right next to her irritating friends Weasley and Potter. Severus stood in the back corner, trying hard to inch out of the camera's view but the headmaster kept tugging him back.
"Who isn't here?" Hermione whispered. She had a pained look on her face, and he knew that besides being sad that there were those in the photo that had died fighting that she was worried that she would say something embarrassing or hurtful because she didn't remember.
"Tonks," he said, motioning to the pink-haired witch who was falling over laughing in the picture because of something Remus was telling her. "Charlie Weasley, Emmeline Vance, and Arabella Figg, were killed. Ernie Macmillian was never seen again after the last battle. And Mad-Eye is alive but he won't be here. I think you know the rest."
She nodded, biting her lip. "Why won't Moody be here?"
"If you thought he was paranoid before, he's even worse now. He's holed himself up in a cabin in the highlands. He never leaves, and the one poor soul who tried to visit him left with a broken leg, three broken ribs, and a sprained wrist."
"That's horrible," she whispered.
"It's no life I'd want to live," he said, thinking that without Hermione, his wouldn't have been too much different. "But you're supposed to be enjoying the party, not moping around depressed." He was very solicitous of her moods recently. She seemed so much more apt to slide into a depression since her attack, much more introspective than she had ever been before.
She nodded. "I think I'll mingle a bit. I haven't seen much of the Weasleys since Christmas, and Harry wanted to talk to me about possibly doing some consultant work for the Auror department."
He watched her snake her way through the crowd. She had a smile and something to say to everyone she met, and she practically glowed as she related what she had remembered. He hated seeing his private affairs flaunted in public like this, but it gave her such pleasure to tell everyone how he had proposed. Jealousy welled up as she placed her hand on Lupin's arm, laughing at something he said. Probably mocking how he had asked her to marry him, but then she turned and caught his eye from across the room. He held her gaze as she smiled and waved at him before turning back to Remus.
Relaxing slightly, he reminded himself that she loved him, and no one else. He leaned back against the wall and drained his drink. Though it wouldn't hurt to remind her later this evening just how much they loved each other. His lascivious thoughts were interrupted by Potter.
"Snape, I just got an owl from my surveillance team. It looks like Malfoy has shown up at the manor," Harry told him.
"Let's go," he said, but he pulled on Potter's arm as he started to move away. "Don't tell Hermione. She doesn't need to know. I'd rather she stay out of harm's way," he whispered.
Harry looked over to where Hermione stood laughing with the Weasley twins. "She's not going to like being left behind," he said.
"Let me handle that later," Snape said, trying to reassure him, but it didn't look like it was working. "She just starting to get her memory back. Too much stress and she'll have a relapse. Then we'll be back to square one. This is for her best interest, Potter," he added. Harry nodded slowly.
"Fine, hurry up then. We don't want to lose the element of surprise."
"I'll meet you outside."
He walked over to where Hermione stood, eavesdropping on her conversation.
"Did you hear what the Daily Prophet wrote about Percy?" one twin asked her.
"No, what?" she asked.
"Rita Skeeter did an exposé on him and his bid for the Minister of Magic. It wasn't too complimentary. She didn't mention you by name, but his attempts at adulterous affairs did play a big part in the piece," the other twin answered.
"She was probably afraid of what I would do to her," Hermione said through clenched teeth.
"Not to mention Snapey-poo," the first twin said. Severus had to clench his fists to keep from punching the irreverent sod.
"His chances at political office are pretty much shot now. It seems the public doesn't like adulterers but they like failed ones even less. If you're going to seduce a married woman you should at least be successful at it," the second twin said with a laugh. There appeared to be no love lost between Percy and his brothers in the Weasley family.
"A pity," Severus said, making his presence known. He was satisfied to see the first twin looking worried, wondering if he had overheard the Snapey-poo comment.
"You wouldn't have anything to do with this, would you, Severus?" Hermione asked suspiciously.
"Of course not," he said, kissing her cheek. "I've stayed the requisite half hour. I'm going home. You stay as long as you want." If he was going to lie to her, it was best to get it all done in one breath. Later she could decide about which one she was angrier.
"I'll see you back at Hogwarts," she said before turning back to the conversation. He fetched his cloak and hurried outside to where Potter and Ron Weasley were waiting for him. With a nod, the three Apparated directly outside Malfoy Manor.
'Finally,' Severus thought, "I will have my answers. Hermione will have her justice.'
A/N: Thanks to Larilee for looking over the grammar. We're very close to the end, folks. I predict one, maybe two more chapters. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed.