Chapter 29

Hermione stood before Elmer, with Sylvester by her side. Elmer was lavishing compliments on the witch. She had alerted Sylvester that he was to stand beside Elmer and freeze him if he uttered one single word that would ruin this night. Sylvester was up to the task with delight.

Hermione turned as she heard the crack of Severus apparating in the lobby. Her heart began to thump wildly in he chest. She looked herself over one last time in the mirror and was satisfied with what she saw. Sylvester seemed to take on the persona of handmaiden as he preened his mistress. She kept swatting his hand away as he attempted to fluff her dress and straighten her cape.

She had decided that after the past day and a half, she and Severus needed to have an extremely candid talk. She wanted him to know what lay so heavily on her mind and in her heart. She felt alive when he was here and empty when he was not. She had come to the conclusion that she and Severus were meant to be together. Her heart and her mind were, for once, in total agreement on the issue and she would not squander that gift.

She heard his footsteps coming down the hall and swallowed down a heavy lump in her throat.

Severus entered the sitting room and froze momentarily in the doorway. His field of vision was telescoped to the beautiful witch that stood before him. She was dressed as he had never seen a witch dress before. It was alluring how she stood, both innocent and mysterious standing before him. Her face was serene and her lips parted in a small smile in greeting. His chest rose and fell in labored breaths as he fought to regain control over himself. Outwardly, he looked the same. Inside, he was in complete chaos.

"Ms. Granger, did I under dress?" he felt a flush in his cheeks as he looked upon her smiling face. He hadn't been embarrassed in years. What was happening to him?

"No, you didn't. This is just something I save for special occasions. Do you like it?' she smirked at him as he nodded. She felt heat rise in her chest and she was flushed with pride at his look if appreciation.

"Are you ready then?" she nodded and patted Sylvester on the head, who seemed to glow with her affection.

"I hope you both have a night that dreams are made of…" came Elmer's voice. The two humans stopped and were momentarily shocked at his statement. Both confusion and then a growing discomfort filled both of them. Sylvester placed a small hand on both of their backs and began pushing them out the door.

"Mistress goes with the Potions Master. Sylvester will handle that thing. You go!" Hermione chuckled to herself as Severus offered his arm to her. Sylvester closed the door behind them. Severus was the only one who caught the look of malice on the elf's face and he chuckled inwardly too. That mirror was about to have a long night.

"Are we apparating?" Hermione nodded and clung to him arm.

"I'll take us." Severus' eyebrows lifted and he looked down at the petite witch.

"You? I am not accustomed to being brought along." Hermione looked up at him and saw a flicker of something in his eyes that further melted her heart.

"Oh well then, off we go. Well? Oh that's right…you don't know where we are going. Hmm…then I think I ought to…don't you?' Hermione's eyes danced and Severus glared down at her. She was right of course. He had no idea where he was or where she planned for them to go. He had to give in. He just nodded once toward her and then looked straight ahead.

"Hold on." Severus was about to explode with indignation at her attempt to stoke the fire more. But with a crack and a pull, they were gone.

They appeared on deserted street with the lights of a small town below the hillside. They walked in silence as Hermione led them towards the small town. Severus found he was strangely comfortable and strangely content to let her lead the way. He was merely keeping her company on this walk. He didn't know where they were going, and didn't really care anymore. She was beautiful in the dying rays of sunlight.

They entered the small town from the back and Severus realized that this was a very small village and not a town. What was more, it was a wizarding village.

"Where are we?" Severus asked as he saw a few witches walking together and children playing in the street on small brooms.

"This is a small and very private village called Kilter. It serves those of us who work at MagiCall. I am one of the rare employees who live in the building. Many of them are office clerks, inventors and things of that sort." Severus saw her happy smile and he watched the people pass them and wave nicely at them both. Which was odd to Severus who was accustomed to glares and ridicule wherever he went. As if sensing his confusion Hermione spoke again.

"These people are rather like you and I Severus. They are intelligent and care only for their work. They do know of the war and of Voldemort, but that is over to them now. There is much work to do and they are doing it. You don't have to worry here about people recognizing you. If they did, it wouldn't matter. Things here are very different than what we are accustomed to."

"That isn't completely true."

"What isn't?" she looked up at him as they changed direction and headed for a two story building made of wood that had a sign hanging from the door that read, "O'Brians".

"Do you really care for nothing but your work?" he glanced down at her for a moment and then back to the pub they were heading for. Hermione looked flustered and he smirked a little.

"Well…erm…no. I mean I do care for my work, but that's not all I care about." here she looked up at him and studied his profile. She knew he was not looking at her on purpose and she smiled as she looked back at the pub. Work, was the farthest thing from her mind at the moment.

They entered the pub and Severus was pleasantly surprised to find it darker and alight with fireplaces on every wall. Tables were placed strategically around the room to give the patrons optimum privacy. They walked toward a table and Hermione began sitting down when she felt his hand on her arm. She looked up and his hands unclasped the cloak she was wearing and draped it over the chair. He then pulled out the chair for her to sit in and she sat, rather clumsily in it, as he pushed her toward the table. He sat opposite of her and spoke without looking at her.

"Don't look so surprised. I do, on occasion, have manners that are fitting for the civilized world." Severus grabbed the menus that magically appeared on the able and handed one to her. She really was taken aback by his rather gentlemanly demeanor. They sat in silence as they both read through the menus and listened to the pleasant music playing from somewhere overhead. The tables were rustic, but nice. Simple would be too poor of a word. The table was laid with nice silver and candles. Flowers were draped through the table legs. The plants grew inside of the building and were ivy-like in nature. They blossomed beautiful flowers and grew wherever they were needed to cover a dull surface.

Hermione ordered soup as Severus ordered his as well. He also ordered a bottle of wine and looked at her expectantly as she nodded. She loved wine. She just had to be careful how much of that she drank this evening. Allowing the saying, 'In Vino Veritas' to come true tonight could get interesting indeed.

The ordering done, and the music playing softly, left neither of them with anything to do say. Hermione looked over the tables and the chairs and the pictures on the wall. Severus studied her.

"I like this place…I come often." Hermione said without looking at him. Severus watched her as she spoke. He wondered why she came here often. The place was so quiet and seemed lonely.

"I come because everyone leaves you alone here. Mostly, this pub is for people who have work to do and need to get out of the building. The wait staff is in the back, all ordering done by magic. All serving done by magic. You could eat here for weeks and never see anyone who worked here." Hermione was still watching the other side of the room, her face tuned from him.

"And that is how you wish to live? Not being seen by other people?" She turned to him now and looked at him.

"Yes. Frankly I tire of all the attention. I don't know how the others do it. I don't know how you do it."

"You deal with it as you would anything else. You learn to live with it."

"And you? You have learned to live with everything you are subjected to?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, the talking. The stares. The ridicule. All of it after everything…" she watched him as he looked down at the table and breathed in and out for a moment. He spoke to her softly.

"Yes. I have learned to live with it. It is temporary. Like everything else in life. One day, I will fade away and none will remember. Or if they do, I will not be around to hear or see any of it."

"Where do you plan to go?" Hermione was curious. She couldn't picture him anywhere other than Hogwarts.

"Wherever the fates take me." he looked at her and she watched his eyes as the candle light flickered in them. There was a pregnant pause as they sat together. The wine appeared with two sparkling glasses. Severus poured each of them a glass and handed hers to her and then sipped from his.

They sat sipping their wine and heard only the crackling of the fire and the faint sounds from outside.

"What do you think will happen? Tomorrow at the Ministry I mean? For two people who prefer to stay out of the limelight, we have certainly placed ourselves squarely in it. Don't you think?" Hermione had a reflective smile on her face and Severus nodded.

"Yes. We have. But again, it will be temporary. Once the initial shock and excitement is over, the company will take over from there. We can fade into the darkness from that point on." Hermione sipped more wine and looked at him. The wine was doing something for her courage. It was making her bolder and more relaxed.

She cocked her head to the side slightly and spoke to him in a voice that he had never heard from her before. It was lower and more seductive. "If you fade into the darkness Severus, how will I find you?" his heart began to beat rapidly and he took a drink from his glass that drained it. He poured more from the bottle.

"I suppose that would depend on why you would try and find me." he drank again and felt his nervousness keenly. Her face did nothing to calm him. She unnerved him more because she looked so…calm.

"Would it really matter why? Wouldn't it be enough that I wanted to know?" She drained her glass this time and he poured more in it. He looked into her eyes for a moment and back to the glass. He couldn't get control over is heart or his breathing. Both were going into a fierce state as he finished pouring her wine.

"It would matter why, yes." he braved another look at her and saw a small smile on her face. He smiled inwardly when he saw the flush in her cheeks and the glow in her eyes.

"If I needed your help again? Would you rise to the occasion?"

"Yes.' he said without hesitation.

"Would you? I suppose it would also depend on whether or not you were collecting residuals, hmm?" she laughed softly remembering how frustrated she was with him when their 'arrangement' was first proposed.

"Of course." They both chuckled and sat back as the soups appeared. They began to eat in silence, both enjoying the change from their everyday lives.

"Are you worried at all? About the demonstration tomorrow. I felt your hesitation when we were discussing the Ministry in England being notified." Severus wiped his mouth lightly with his napkin and placed his elbows on the tale and looked at her. His long fingers were laced together under his chin.

"Hermione I am worried. But not for myself. But for you. It is possible that my rather, unsavory reputation will precede the demonstration and others will begin to look at you differently. You have done well for yourself here. I hate to think that by aligning yourself with me, you have been tainted by my past."

"I don't see how even your reputation could taint this project. It is nothing but good and nothing but good can come of it." She happily ate her soup as he looked at her. He felt momentarily sorry for her innocence. She was so learned but still naïve to the world and those in it.

"It wouldn't matter what I did to help. The fact is that I have done too much wrong to be redeemed at this late hour. All I can do, is to do what I can to ease my own mind. Others will think what they will. I promise you, my being a part of this project will do nothing for my reputation. Old prejudices don't die. They simply are."

"How can you say that? It does matter. It matters to me and it would matter to anyone who has half a brain!" he pointed his spoon at her and spoke.

"You have hit the nail on the head.." They both laughed freely then and continued eating.

Hermione finished her soup shortly after Severus and they waited for the next course. They drank more wine and both felt the effects. Neither one was actually drunk, but emboldened by the consequence.

"You never told me, how did Professor McGonagall react to you requesting a leave of absence?"

"Oh well, Minerva was very enthusiastic and offered me all the time I needed. Very kind of her." Hermione laughed a bit loudly and Severus smiled at her. It was oddly comforting sitting in the dark room with her. Drinking wine and knowing that he could discuss anything with her and she would be a avid listener. But what he wanted was for her to talk. He wanted to know everything all of a sudden. He wanted to ask her everything from her life as a muggle to how she operates her business. So he did.

Severus and Hermione sat and discussed her life growing up and he dodged a few questions about his own life that he couldn't answer. It was all still fairly painful for him and he didn't want the mood spoiled for them. He learned what muggle schools were like and also found out a great deal about her in the process. They talked for a long while as they ate the next course. The wine was almost gone before they finished eating.

She surprised him by ordering another bottle and their conversation on the transfer from muggle world to the wizarding world never missed a beat. Hours went by. Or only minutes. Severus didn't know, nor did he care. He watched her speak and studied her face. Her eyes kept him captivated and her erudition was intoxicating. He felt himself relax in a way that he had not experienced for a length of time he could not even fathom. He kept asking her questions so she would answer. He felt drawn to her the more she talked. As she was speaking, he leaned towards her subconsciously, as did she. They were sitting rather close and anyone who walked by would be able to see the attraction between them.

"Severus, can I ask you a question without you dodging it?" she smiled at him rather slyly and he snorted.

"Ask away." he waved his hand and felt he would answer her anything. If only she continued to look at him that way. His body was alive, as well as his mind, with excitement and a light that he hadn't known he was missing before now.

"Were you aware that I spent the last year as your student harboring a rather intense crush on you?" she smirked at his expression of shock. As she took another drink of wine, she leveled her eyes at him over the rim of her glass. She was certainly a little intoxicated but knew just what she was saying. She had thought it out and decided it was the best way to breech the subject. She watched the confusion that rattled him and then laughed. "I'm serious, did you know?"

"No. I didn't. But we all do foolish things when we are young." The insinuation about his own life was not lost on Hermione as she leaned into him, closer now than she had yet been.

"Sometimes we do foolish things when we're young. Yes. But no one can pay for a mistake that was made while they were young forever. You can't regret the past. Everything happens for a reason. If it hadn't been for you, and my feelings for you as a young woman, I would not be in the position I am in today. I regret nothing. And, if it hadn't been for other decisions you made in your youth, we would never have won the war." she fingered her glass and watched his face. It was expressionless. Had she known that what she said threaten to take down every wall Severus had, she would have quailed.

"Yes and we grow up one day and look back and realize what we did or felt while we were young was a mistake and not really what was right for us as adults." he watched her eyes. He saw them slightly change from soft to hard.

"Or sometimes we know as adults that we had it right when we were young."

Severus stared at her and wondered at what she said. If she meant what he thought, and hoped, then she meant that…

"What if it causes you more pain and trouble than it's worth?" he asked softly. Not daring to hope, but couldn't help it because the voice in his head began saying the most beautiful things to him.

"Something that is both rare and perfect for you can not be more trouble or pain. In fact, it would lesson the pain. It would make the loneliness disappear and the troubles easier to bare."

It was one of those moments that changed both of them forever. Even speaking cryptically, they both knew what it was they were discussing. They were discussing themselves and their future, without actually doing it. Long moments went by before Severus cold find his voice.

"If it were something that good and pure, it should belong to someone more deserving."

"Everyone deserves happiness. Everyone deserves a shelter from the storm. Everyone deserves an equal. Everyone deserves to be free of dark shadows and regrets. Even you Severus." There it was. On the table for both of them to see and feel.

"I wouldn't know what to do with it if I had it." he said in a rare moment of uncertainty.

Hermione smiled and placed her hand on his. He squeezed her hand in his and they looked at each other. There were no trumpets sounding. No romantic music playing loudly. But there was a silent moment that spoke volumes.

Severus nodded his consent. With his free hand he drained his glass of wine and stood. He pulled Hermione up to her feet. He released her hand and pulled her cape from the chair and placed it around her shoulders. She watched his able hands fasten the clasp. He stood so close, but didn't touch her. She fought the urge to wrap her arms around him and feel his warmth. Instead, he stepped back and placed a few gallons on the table and then stopped.

"Hermione, do they take Galleons here?" she laughed and nodded her head. Wizarding money was the same everywhere, country to country.

He offered his arm to her and she laced her hand through his cloaked arm and placed the other hand on his arm as well. Together they walked from the pub into the dark night.

A few people were still out and walking about the village. Lights burned behind windows and the sounds of music could be heard from bagpipes somewhere close by. They walked silently away from the pub and saw people dancing in the street to the music. Severus was calmed by the music. One was a bagpipe and the other a violin. The violin played and he felt his heart reach out to the sound. It sounded as if it were someone's soul crying out through the music. It was a beautiful sound and no matter how the music changed from slow to fast, it still struck him as sad.

People laughed merrily and danced hand in hand. Someone had turned a huge cauldron over and used it as a drum while the people went wild. The air was think with happiness and excitement. These were a happy people. Untouched by the rest of the world's problems, they were happy expressing their joy though song.

Severus looked down at Hermione and saw she had been looking up at him. He felt her pull slightly on his arm and he turned to face her. With the music ringing in his ears, the drums and the violins strumming his heart, he leaned in and kissed her.