Arrivals and Settlings

They arrived at the small house late. Both Severus and Hermione were exhausted and in need of some sleep. Helping Hermione up the stairs, he found that there were two bedrooms and a washroom down the hall. Vaguely familiar with the layout of the place, Severus lead Hermione into the larger room which was closer to the bathroom incase she needed to find it in the middle of the night. He turned down the sheets helping her into the bed and pulling the light sheets up over her.

It was after he got her settled in that he realized she was still holding onto his hand. He looked up at her and when their eyes met, she game him a small half-smile. The gesture was small and seemed that it took a lot of effort to make, but it was there, thanking him for taking her away. He gave her a short nod before turning and leaving the room.

Dipsy the house elf was standing in the hall waiting for him. "Missus says Mr. Snape and Miss Granger be staying at the house. Dipsy happy to help!"

Severus nodded at the small elf and told her to listen for Hermione that night. If she woke up, he would need to be informed immediately.

"Yes, Mr. Snape!" she piped up glad to help. She was an older elf, and seeing that this house had not been used in a while, she was doubly excited to have a task to perform.

The walk to his own room was a weary one, he had not realized how tired he had been before, but it hit him now like a ton of bricks. He did not even bother changing before bed, he just removed his shirt and shoes. His head was barely on the pillow before he was asleep.

Morning came quickly bringing chirping birds, sweet smells, and warm lights. As Hermione awoke and became aware of her surrounds, she thought that it seemed the whole world was waking up and not just her.

"Oh! Missy is awake!" She heard a high-pitched voice saying. A small house elf had come into the room. She was wearing what looked like a potato sack over her body and had a bright yellow flower tucked behind her large right ear. Though Hermione still thought the idea of keeping a house elf was abysmal, the cheerful look on the elf's face made her feel a bit better. "Dipsy will go get Mister!"

A moment later Dipsy returned with Severus who was rubbing sleep from his eyes and brushing his hair back from his face. He had not slept that well in years, and felt much better for it. "Ah, Miss Granger," he began upon seeing her awake, "glad to see you awake."

Walking to the bed he pulled back her covers helped her out of the bed. When he felt her hands on his back, he remembered that he had slept without a shirt and rushed in here as soon as he heard that she was awake. Silently cursing what a good night sleep had done to make him absent minded, he noted the almost amused look in his patient's eyes.

"Well you didn't expect me to sleep in my teaching robes did you!" he snarled irritated. Hermione looked down and he was afraid at first that he had scared her, until he realized that she was smirking, and her mouth seemed to move a little bit freely than it had last night. Feeling that this was Hermione's way of laughing at him, he was indignant. "Well I never!"

Hermione immediately looked more serious, and looked up at him with a blank face. But he noticed that her eyes seemed a little warmer, the way they had before the war. Confusion filled him as he sighed and helped her downstairs to the kitchen.

He had still yet to put on a shirt, as if defying her surprise at seeing him shirtless. Why shouldn't he not wear a shirt? Just because he didn't do it usually didn't mean it couldn't be done.

Glad for the large breakfast he ate his eggs hurriedly and drank down his juice. By the time he was finished, Hermione still had not touched her breakfast. "Miss Granger, I think you can at least manage to eat some toast!"

When she took one bite and seemed like she could barely swallow it, he began to get irritated. No one said that this would be easy, but if he couldn't even get her to eat breakfast….. Sighing he moved to sit beside her, trying to win her over with soft words. It was hard for him not to lose patience with her, but he had made his vow. "Hermione please, you need to eat so you can get better."

She turned to face him, a pained look in her eyes, as if being conscious for a while had reminded her of her suffering all over again. Not letting his gaze drop from hers, he picked up a slice of toast and held it up to her mouth. The look in her eyes practically begged him not to make her eat, to let her starve, to end her pain at living longer than her family and friends. Her gaze shook him to the core, but he remained solid pressing the toast softly to her lips and whispered, "I didn't come this far to let you die."

A single tear rolled down her cheek as she took a bite from the toast, but she ate both slices, and drank half of her juice. "Good," Severus said standing up feeling slightly awkward after having fed her. "I am going into the living room if you care to join me."

Hermione looked up so Severus assumed that meant she would, so he helped her into the other room and seated her on the sofa while he occupied the matching chair. Minutes passed, and the ticking from the damned clock on the wall filled the room resounding through Severus's brain with every toc. Hermione sat there the whole time looking straight ahead of her with her hands on her lap.

Trying to amuse himself Severus found a book that interest him and began reading. However, he was painfully aware of Miss Granger's presence in the room distracting his focus. Damn it all! He had spent six years wishing nothing more for the insufferable girl to shut up, and now here he was wishing she would speak! The silence was unsettling, unnerving, he didn't know what to do or how to deal with this. He wasn't a people person and he certainly couldn't interact with someone who just sat there. It was so awkward he imagined the silence was deafening him. Finally, if only to drown out that godforsaken ticking, Severus began reading out loud. His voice resonated through the small house and he immediately began to feel better. What's more, he noticed Hermione looking at him interestedly. He stood and began to pace in the room while reading and her eyes followed him. At first he was at a loss, but quickly realized that this was going to make his life much easier.

"Do you like my reading?"

She nodded.

Severus felt a million times better, they wouldn't have to sit in that awkward silence any longer. "Well shall I continue this one, or read something else?"

Again she nodded, before a pink colour tinted her cheeks as she realized she didn't answer at all.

"Continue?"

She nodded again, and Severus sat down beside her, so that she might see the book. Neither seemed to notice that they slid even closer while Severus read aloud.

Dipsy interrupted them half past noon carrying a tray with sandwiches and drinks. They were so close that Hermione's hair was tickling Severus's hair. Embarrassed at first Severus wrote it off thinking that Hermione's hair was quite large and was not a good indicator of how close they had been sitting. Hermione's eyes widened when Severus thanked Dipsy and nodded approvingly. She ate much more eagerly this time, though still not enough in Severus's opinion.

After lunch Hermione began to look distressed and started rocking in the bench. Worried that this might be some new progression of her delicate state, he began babbling things to calm her. Much to his dismay it did nothing to sooth her. Soon, however he realized that she wanted to get up. He helped her to her feet and walked her up the stairs that she had been looking at longingly. At the top of the stairs he realized the problem feeling heat rise into his cheeks. He escorted her to the washroom and waited for her outside as she could use the sink and walls for support in the tiny room.

She emerged, eyes cast down, just as embarrassed as he had been. Realizing the silliness of the situation, being that everyone had to use the facilities, he took her arm saying, "There, much better, now what shall we read next?"

Thankful not to prolong the odd situation, Hermione focused on hobbling down the stairs. The stairs for Severus were the worst. They grinded upon his patience as they took so long for her to fumble down. At the moment, they had gotten down two steps. Severus sighed looking at the rest of the stairs that loomed in front of them. Something had to be done.

"Forgive me, Miss Granger," he said scooping her up in his arms and whisking her down the stairs. She clutched on as she went what she was sure was too quickly down the stairs and into the living room. Severus placed her gently on the couch before taking out a book and reading aloud again. Though Hermione remained stiff at first, she gradually allowed herself to become involved in the reading, shifting her weight to lean slightly toward Severus. She listened to his voice going on and on about a potions experiment gone wrong, that caused the brewer to act like a bird for three months—apparently he was trying to create a potion that would allow the drinker to fly without using a broom. When he read, and she focused on his words, it gave little time to other thoughts occupying her thoughts. Should she have read on her own, she could easily have gotten lost in thought whereas having to listen meant no time for stray thinking.

In that moment, Hermione thought that perhaps there was still hope after all—sitting in this nice warm room, surrounded by nothing except peace, listening to Severus's voice, this was a different world than the one she had been in yesterday. This one was….. nice. Without intending to, she let her head fall onto Severus's shoulder. He stiffened and his words stopped as realization hit Hermione. Righting herself quickly she came out of her daze remembering why she was here, and what had happened. Tears welled up inside of her spilling into the open air and emotions tore through her. They were dead, all of them, every one who cared for her—well almost everyone. And she could do nothing. Nothing!

She fell to her knees sobbing uncontrollably gasping for air as if she were suffocating. Severus himself was nearly in a panic as he realized that the slightest gesture could set her off at any moment. Yes, he thought, this was going to be as hard if not harder than he first anticipated.

He talked to her to calm her down, but she continued her rampage unhindered. Tentatively, he reached a hand out to her shoulder, which caused that horrid gasping to stop. Unsure could not even begin to describe how he felt but he rubbed a hand across her back, but she did not stop crying or shaking.

Severus was nearing his wits end: he was the sort of guy who went out of his way to avoid emotional outburst, and here he was trying to comfort a shattered girl. Whatever had led him to think he could do this? Frustration welled within him, and he restrained himself from throwing something across the room, especially because the nearest thing was Miss Granger. There was a tug on his sleeve, and he found himself looking into Dipsy's large eyes. He scowled down at her.

"Perhaps," she began with a squeak, "If you were to hold her. That's what the Mistress do when her daughters is crying."

Severus looked from the elf to the girl on the floor. Exasperated as he was, he positioned himself awkwardly around Hermione's shaking form and pulled her onto his lap, situating her so that she was facing him, her knees on one side of his body while her head rested on his shoulder. He looked at Dipsy for help, and she made a motion to say "go on."

He began making small circles with one of his hands on her back and rocking her back and forth. Dipsy continued to gesture at his, though he was truly frayed and barely could continue. Ignoring the elf, he bent his head close to Hermione's ear and began to whisper things in her ear like "hush," "calm down," and "everything going to be okay." Somehow, cradling her became less awkward and almost natural as basic human instincts began to work through Severus. Closing his eyes, he buried his face in her hair, continuing to rub her back and repeat calming words the whole while. Soon, his forehead was resting on the side of hers while his nose gently brushed her cheek.

Hermione was finally calming down, the torrent of her emotions replaces by the warmth of human contact. Her breathing began to match that of the breath she could feel on her cheek, and as she clung to the flesh in front of her, she stopped shaking. Finally after her tears had stopped and she had regained control over herself, she began to nod off. She took in a deep breath, and exhaled it, "Seve….."

Severus looked up suddenly as he had been almost certain that she had begun to say his name when she let out her breath. Looking at the sleeping girl in his arms, he decided that it must have been his mind playing tricks on him. He settled Hermione onto the couch and told Dipsy that he would be preparing dinner tonight.

A gentle smell permeated through the house and woke Hermione from her slumber. She began to work to pull herself upright when Severus came into find her. "Allow me," he said picking her up once more and carrying her into the kitchen. She was light enough, and it was so much faster just to carry her.

Dinner smelled really good, and Severus had taken the time to cut Hermione's chicken into small pieces to make it more manageable. Severus enjoyed cooking, it was similar enough to potion brewing to put him in his element so to speak, and the fact that he didn't have to worry about it blowing up at any given moment was comforting. Yes, cooking relaxed him. And it had done him so much wonder that he had even had the ability to foresee the problems Hermione might have coordinating a fork and a knife. His mood had improved greatly since allowing himself sometime in the kitchen, and he thought about telling Dipsy to allow him the pleasure of fixing dinner every night.

Noticing that Hermione had taken her first bites, he asked her how it was and was rewarded with a smile that was less pained than the one she gave him last night. Severus nodded and they ate in peace.

Eating made Hermione tired so Severus carried her up to bed—going up the stairs was far more tedious than coming down them—and tucked her in. Having nothing else to do, Severus himself decided to lay down.

The morning saw a delivery by owl post of some nice new clothing for Hermione. Severus had gotten up early ad showered, and drew a bath for Hermione. As he went to fetch her, he noticed that Dipsy was opening the package and showing Hermione her new clothing. He thought she looked pleased.

He helped her to the lavatory and told Dipsy to accompany her incase she needed any help washing her hair or getting dressed. When Hermione finally emerged from the bathroom, she was wearing a long light blue sundress, and her hair had been braided and tied back with a matching ribbon.

Severus smiled before he had actually realized it was happening, which caused Hermione to blush. "Perhaps, since you have some decent clothes today you would enjoy spending sometime outside?"

Hermione nodded. They spent the morning much the same as the previous one, and went outside after lunch. There was a large tree in the back yard that someone had fashioned a swing onto long ago. The grass was long coming up to the bottom of his calf, but Hermione kicked out of her shoes apparently enjoying the feeling of the earth between her toes. A small pond lay a short distance away, and Hermione it seemed loved to watch the birds on the pond. Severus went in early to fix dinner, but Hermione insisted on staying outside for sunset.

When Severus went out to collect Hermione, she was drawing in the sand with a small stick, the golden rays of the sun shone through the now loose braid in her hair. Something twitched inside Severus, and he found himself stopping and clearing his throat before finally reaching Hermione. When he reached her, she held up her arms too tired to walk, and he carried her inside, knowing that he was indeed crazy.

Life at the villa fell into an easy routine. They would wake and eat, read until lunch, and spend some time outside before dinner. It was an easy life and it appeared to do Hermione good. Through their first week, Severus only had to undergo three more outbursts, but they were becoming far more spread out and He became accustom to them, and new better how to comfort her. Her eyes began to look less burdened and she seemed to begin to express her feelings more freely so that Severus did not have to guess at them any more. He hated to think that he himself was becoming less guarded, but he had caught himself, once or twice, expressing his thoughts with his face as well.

It was hard not to, considering his companion never spoke at all. She seemed to take on a surreal quality at times—like when she was outside. Somehow it seemed that she understood something else about nature now that he didn't understand still being bound by words. In any case, he had to learn to read her without using words, so he found he expressed himself without words sometimes.

By the time he had written his first letter to Poppy, Hermione had improved much in spirits, and the Mediwitch was glad to hear it.

As Severus added some spices to the soup he was cooking one afternoon, he allowed his thoughts to muse over his current state of affairs—a topic he found much more understanding without analysis. Of course it made no sense that he was here, in this remote corner of Italy, with a girl, who had slowly driven him mad over the years he had been forced in her company, helping her to recover from a shock that should have been none of his concern. When he put it that way, the situation made no sense at all, but of course, he knew it made perfect sense in actuality. Why would he be here if it didn't make sense?

Severus had found himself slipping into a comfortable pattern, a state he was grudgingly certain he'd have never reached without his ward. Imagining that he had not found Hermione, and she had not—what needed?—him, he would have probably gone insane taxing himself for something to do. Though, he had a clear name, he still had a shattered reputation. And he couldn't go back to Hogwarts that was certain. No, he would have probably spent the rest of his days varying between creating new potions, spells, and theories while remaining a recluse until his inventions completely ebbed his sanity and he created his most brilliant invention which would likely kill him. Years after he was gone, someone would stumble through his modest abode, find his work, and publish them as his own. Of course, they would botch them horribly, tormenting Severus even in his death with their stupidity. Hermione was of course was much better than the alternative, a wicked smirk spread over his face, especially when she couldn't talk.

Though as pleasant as helping the poor girl recover was shaping up to be, Severus knew that one day she'd get better, and that he should think carefully about the patterns he was getting used to. If he got too used to this mostly carefree life, he ran the risk of becoming attached to it. He had learned the hard way about thinking through before allowing himself to become attached. Still, it couldn't hurt to allow himself a few moments of calm respite considering that after helping Hermione heal, he would likely fall back into the danger of becoming an insane hermit.

The post had arrived by owl interrupting his thoughts, but the dinner was almost done and it was nearly time to collect Hermione from outside anyways. Finishing the meal he approached the owl and sorted through the various messages they had received. There was a letter from Poppy with a small attachment from McGonagall, as well as a letter from Ginny who had faithfully written Hermione since their arrival without hope of receiving correspondence in return. Though the sight of the last parchment made his blood run cold.

It was neither addressed nor signed, but bore three words in large red script:

"I've found you."

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I already have the next chapter finished, it is just in need of some editing, thought I have to work a lot through the weekend, it should be up in a couple days.

A big THANK YOU! to everyone who has reviewed so far. you guys keep the story going for me, and keep me inspired.

But enough of me now, hope you enjoyed it!