Chapter 13: The date
She wasn't nervous. At least that was what she told herself. Standing in front of her wardrobe she decided there was no way she would be able to choose an outfit for todays date with her husband. At breakfast he had mentioned she should wear something casual and comfy. Also Muggle clothing was required. She had decided to get ready immediately after, rummaging through her clothes. Unfortunately everything looked new to her which also meant she couldn't really tell how it would fit without trying everything on. To hours later the whole room was covered with tops and trousers and she even tried on a dress but decided against it, because of the cold weather.
She had no idea where Severus would take her. He hadn't spilled a word, just answered with a small smile on his lips, when she had asked him. She considered asking Ginny for advice. This was a real date after all and though she was already married to the man, she wanted it to be nice. In case she wouldn't regain her memories, which seemed more likely with every passing day, this would always be their first date for her.
An hour later she was finally happy with her clothes. Deciding to put a little charm on her face and hair so she wouldn't have to bother with doing her make up by hand she looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. Even with the baby bump everything fit just fine. She wanted to look good in order to feel self-confident and nice clothes usually did the trick for her.
She had decided on colours that suited her. Much to her surprise a dark green sweater belonged to her wardrobe and it had felt so soft, that she couldn't resist trying it on. It made her skin glow and accentuated her collarbone in a very elegant way. Dark blue jeans and brown boots finished the outfit. Her hair was magically pulled up into a loose chignon, with some curls falling out and a glamour highlighted her face in a natural way. She felt pretty.
With a quick spell she sorted her clothes into the wardrobe again and gave the bedroom a short once-over. Satisfied she stepped out of the room and found the living room to be empty. A note lay on top of the kitchen table stating that Severus was in his office, grading homework. She admired his handwriting for a second before venturing to said office and knocking politely before entering.
"I thought you didn't have to work?," she said and closed the door behind her.
"I didn't want someone like Loriston grading my students. He doesn't know anything about potions and would probably boost their self-esteem by spoiling them with good marks. It would take me a month to get them to their normal level again," Severus said without looking up.
"Dunderheads, all of them. Can't tell the difference between Murtlap Essence and Wiggenweld Potion." He shook his head and finally put his feather down.
When his eyes caught her they widened slightly and Hermione couldn't hold back the grin of satisfaction forming on her lips.
"You are beautiful," Severus said not taking his eyes of her.
"Thank you," she said, looking at her feet. She could feel her face heating up. This was so ridiculous. They weren't even on their date yet and she already looked forward to the time when they would come home again. Maybe he would hug her again. Maybe she would be braver this time and try kissing him. The thought made her core clench.
"If you are ready we could leave." He stood up and Hermione nodded rapidly, while giving him an onceover as well. Naturally he wore black again. Dark jeans and a modern pullover, which was cut in an asymmetrical way, really accentuated his built. Approaching her he offered her his arm and she took it, still blushing like crazy. She only hoped he couldn't read her thoughts.
She didn't know they were when they arrived after using the Floo, but the smell of books greeted Hermione and she knew she loved this place already.
Looking around she realized they were underground. It was quite dark, only a few candles floating around. The ceiling was made out of cobblestones and didn't look very sturdy.
Severus was right behind her. He used his wand as a light source and she muttered "Lumos" to do the same.
"Don't be afraid. This is only a small part of it."
He took her hand and let her through a long and narrow corridor. After a minute they turned left and suddenly there was enough light. In front of her was a wrecked ballroom or at least that's what you would think looking at all the beautiful painting on the ceilings, the wonderful floor and the candelabras. There were windows set really close to the ceiling, but they only let little rays of light into the room, because they were covered with wood and cardboard. Plants were growing out of holes on the floor and everything was dirty and looked as though no one had been here in a very long time. The light sources were again floating candles, at least two-dozen of them. Even though the interior was destroyed, it looked beautiful.
Turning to look at Severus, she smiled. "It's amazing. I wish I had brought a camera."
Severus smiled back at her and there was a knowing glint in his eyes.
"Don't worry. You took enough pictures last time we were here."
Hermione blushed again and looked around.
"Where are we exactly?"
"It's a place I found while I was on a mission as a Death Eater. It obviously wasn't that destroyed back then, but the family who used to live here abandoned it, once they realized the Dark Lord had found this place."
He sighed and seemed to be deep in thoughts.
"It's mostly underground as you can tell. They thought it was a good hideout, but it wasn't. Once the Dark Lord was dead I decided to come here again and make this a save place to be. This is by far the prettiest room, but you haven't even seen the best thing."
He pointed his wand at the walls and suddenly large bookshelves appeared along with a set of armchairs and a sofa. The dirt and dust were suddenly gone and only the cracks and plants remained as an indication, that it looked different before. Behind her there was suddenly a fireplace, which warmed the cool air down here.
Severus smiled when Hermione looked at him in awe.
"I don't want anyone else to take interest in this place, hence the spells. I usually also hide the candles, but I prepared the room before we came here," he explained.
"May I?" Hermione asked, taking a step towards the bookshelves. Her husband nodded and went to take a seat on the sofa, not taking his eyes of his wife.
The place was stunningly beautiful and even held a few of her most favourite books. This was perfect for their evening readings. She wondered why Severus hadn't shown it to her before. Letting her fingers grace the spines of the books, she hummed happily. Candlelight, dust swirling in the air, the smell of books - it felt like home to her. A big broken mirror stood at the end the room and as Hermione looked into it, she had the feeling that this room held so many secrets worth taking pictures of. No wonder she had apparently already taken some. Photography was a hobby of hers that she actually preferred to do the Muggle way. Moving photographs were nice, but for her capturing the exact moment held much more meaning. Glancing around the room she even consider taking self-portraits in here. Maybe even nude once, a small voice whispered, but she quickly shook the thought away. She wasn't brave enough to do that. Not yet anyways.
Hermione finished her walk in front of Severus, who was holding a book on Magical Plants. When he felt her approaching he looked up.
"Thank you for showing me this. It's such a dreamlike place." Hermione sat down beside him and gave the room another onceover. She would enjoy spending more time here in the future.
"I know. I thought about bringing you here before, but we were always so busy with the memory loss. Though we have been here before the incident, we haven't been in a long time. That's why I thought it wouldn't really trigger anything."
Hermione nodded and suddenly her stomach made an angry sound. Severus raised an eyebrow.
"I see. In that case, we should move on. I made reservations in a restaurant we have been to before. You will like it," he said and stood up, offering her his hand.
This time she took it without blushing.
The restaurant was in Muggle London and Hermione loved it, just as Severus had predicted. The food was delicious and the waiters were friendly. They didn't talk much during their meal, but Hermione really enjoyed Severus calm and observing nature. To her it seemed as though he could read her every thought. He recommended food for her and made a great effort in giving her subtle compliments. All in all she felt as though she had found the perfect match. Would this have been a true first date, she would have been ecstatic. They even started discussing potions and had a very clever argument about the storage of ingredients. It was absolutely perfect. By the time they came out of the restaurant they were still discussing potions and Hermione thought, that she had never had a more intelligent conversation in her life.
"I can't believe it said that you should pair those two ingredients," she said and shook her head.
"It did. Therefore it wasn't really my fault. I'm usually good at predicting the outcome of the mixed ingredients, but that one time it completely turned on me."
Severus shrugged.
"Well, Professor, and here I thought you were the most capable wizard… when it comes to potions," she said in a teasing tone and a smile tugged at her lips, though she tried to hide it. Severus blinked a few times and for a split second Hermione thought she saw his mouth drop open a little. She wasn't really sure herself why she made this comment sound so sexual, but somehow his reaction pleased her.
"Believe me, I'm more than capable," he muttered and she was sure he wasn't talking about potions at all.
They eventually ended up in a small café with the loveliest vintage interior design. Hermione got herself some shortbread, which she claimed the baby was demanding and Severus ordered himself an afternoon tea.
"I've never been on a real date before. At least as far as I can remember and I think you are doing a pretty good job," she said and took a bite of her shortbread. Severus chuckled.
"Well, one would hope to be able to keep his own wife entertained, right?"
Hermione felt her cheeks heat again. "Of course. I always forget that you know me so well."
"I do," he started and then hesitated as if unsure if he really wanted to say his next words. But instead of saying something he took a sip from his teacup, a frown on his face.
Hermione contemplating asking him about it, but decided that he would probably tell her in time.
"Soo, are we heading home after this?" she asked smiling at him.
Severus raised an eyebrow.
"You think this was a satisfying first date? Of course we can go home if you want to, but I've planned out the whole evening."
"Really? I'm actually more than happy already. But that's fine with me. Let's see what else you have planned," she exclaimed happily and her excitement made him smile.
"You will like it. I promise."
AN: Yes, don't even start. Actually I've rewritten so much of this chapter, it's completely different from when I started. And I had to split the date in half, because otherwise it would have gotten to long. But I still hope you like it. I'll try to update more frequently, but I won't promise anything.
Have fun,
AC
Edit: I was just informed that I make a lot of mistakes when it comes to where and were. And I have to admit I always read over the mistakes and didn't see them, but now this is really bugging me, so I'm trying to do better in the future. Maybe I'll clean this story up a bit, when it's finished, so feel free to tell me what kinds of mistakes I make so I can avoid them in the future. Also I wanted to ask if you'd rather read this story on AO3, because I recently made an account there and am thinking about publishing this story there as well...
