The Beauty of Scars

It was the middle of December, during the Hogwarts holiday break. Hermione was just finishing up a batch of wound cleanser when an owl landed on the mini owlery and tapped on the window with its beak.

Expecting it to be an order, she quickly placed a stasis charm on the cauldron and grabbed the document, after feeding the owl.

She didn't notice the smile her mentor was hiding behind a cauldron full of sapphire steam as he worked on a new specialty potion he had invented.

Unfolding it, she didn't find what she expected. It was from the Minister of Magic for Scandinavia.

The Aurora Borealis

is expected to be beautiful

tonight.

Potions Master Severus Snape

and

apprentice Hermione Granger

are invited

to enjoy the sky with us

tonight

at 10 pm CET.

Enclosed is a Portkey.

She looked up at her mentor questioningly. "What is this?"

He put his brew on a stasis and looked over the correspondence, biting back a grin. He'd been secretly setting this up for weeks.

"I guess they want to share the Northern Lights with us. After all, I just brewed a specialty potion for them."

Hermione had been disappointed that they hadn't been able to see the Northern Lights during their visit to Norway to collect Polypore fungus. Now she would have the opportunity to see them.

At 9 PM, dressed in multiple layers and standing outside the Hogwarts gates, Severus and Hermione spun by Portkey to outside of the Minister's house near Oslo.

The Minister and his wife greeted them. The healer looked deep into Severus's eyes for a long moment and nodded at what she saw.

"You made the potion. Your heart has healed. It is strong."

"Yes, it has healed. The venom nearly destroyed my heart before we stopped it." He took Hermione's hand and she looked up at him, eyes glistening with the thought of losing him.

The healer looked into Hermione's eyes next, and touched her left arm where the slur was once carved.

"You were broken. By many." The unshed tears finally spilled over as she nodded. "Now your soul is healing, too." She glanced at Severus. "You have healed each other." She placed one hand on top of where they had joined theirs and the other hand below it for a moment, then let go.

As the sky came alive with streaks of green, purple, yellow, red and white, Severus moved her away from the others and then turned to her. He pulled a small box out of his coat pocket.

"Hermione Granger, will you marry me?"

She gasped in surprise and wrapped her arms around his neck tightly "Yes! I will!"

She stepped back and pulled her gloves off just long enough for him to slip a gold and emerald ring on her left ring finger.

"I love you, Severus!"

Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck again and pressed her lips to his. She felt his arms wrap around her tightly and pull her closer to him. His tongue moved across her lips and she opened her mouth, allowing him to deepen the kiss.

Breaking away, she looked up into the dark eyes she had fallen in love with. She was ready.

"Severus, would you like to come into my bed with me tonight?"

His dark eyes gazed deeply into hers. "Are you certain? I never want to pressure you and just because we're engaged now does not mean we need to."

"I am as sure as I've ever been about anything in my life. I'm ready."

After lingering to watch the Northern Lights for a long while, they apparated to a hotel where a room for them had already been reserved.

After the door to their room was shut, Hermione resumed the kiss they started under the lights. Her fingers entwined into Severus's black hair as his hands roamed down her body and he deepened the kiss.

Without breaking away, she undid the buttons on her sweater and dropped it to the ground.

He picked her up and carried her to the bed. After setting her down in the middle, he laid down next to her on his side.

"Remember, Hermione, at any time if you want to stop you only need to say so."

"I know. I trust you. But I'm ready."

They resumed their kiss. Hermione wound her fingers into his black hair again as his hands drifted down and covered her breasts. Moments later, she broke away to pull off her long sleeved tee, laying back in just her emerald colored bra.

Severus pulled down the cup from around her left breast and circled his thumb over her hardening nipple. She let out a gasp at the sensation. Then he traced a circle around it with his tongue before taking it into his mouth and sucking on it. Then he did the same thing with the other breast.

Hermione began unbuttoning his shirt. After the many buttons were all loose, he removed it along with his tee shirt while she removed her bra. She pulled him back down close to her and pressed her mouth to his again, savoring the feeling of his bare skin against hers.

In between kisses, she felt his hand drift downward and cover her through her jeans. He pulled away and mumbled into her ear "Is this okay?".

She managed to gasp out a whispered response. "Yes!"

With one hand, he unbuttoned and unzipped her pants and then slipped inside of them. His long fingers slid over her silky emerald panties for a moment before pulling away to remove her jeans completely. After tossing them on the floor, Severus paused to look at the woman on the bed next to him. Pale skin, flushed cheeks, heaving chest, eyes bright with anticipation and heavy with desire. Laying in just her panties, her brown curls splayed out underneath her, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He laid down next to her and his hand soon found her sex again. The long fingers slipped inside her panties and he began gently stroking the pearl under her folds.

Hermione's eyes closed and her head tilted back. As he increased the rhythm and pressure of his ministrations, her body began to arch. She cried out as lightning burst behind her eyes and her body shook with a powerful orgasm.

As she came down from her high, Severus was stroking her hair. She gazed into the black eyes she had fallen in love with. Black eyes that were staring back at her with so much love in them. What had started with a cup of tea by a dungeon fireplace was culminating in shared passion in a northern hotel room. He had seen her at her worst, when she blocked out the world. He had loved her through her near suicide attempt, her panic attacks, even when she screamed and attacked him in terror. Because he had loved her through her worst, he deserved her at her best.

She brushed an errant lock of black hair away from his face. "I love you, Severus."

"I love you, too, Hermione." There was a time that love was not even a word in his vocabulary, but now he knew this was what he felt for the amazing woman next to him. She was the reason he was alive. She had given him something to live for when the venom had started to consume his heart that spring.

"I want you."

"You are ready? Are you sure?"

"I am sure."

After removing her panties and the remainder of his clothes, Severus covered her body with his own. He positioned himself at her entrance and gazed into her eyes for confirmation one more time. She nodded and wound her fingers into his hair, so he slowly pushed himself into her.

As he began to move, she pulled his face close to hers again and kissed him. He pulled away a moment later and began to kiss the side of her neck from her ear to her shoulder.

She matched his rhythm and moved with him. As she grew closer to another release she grabbed tightly onto his back, digging her nails into his flesh as she did so.

Her climax pushed him over the edge, and soon they both lay panting in each other's arms. He laid his forehead against hers and she could feel his warm breath on her face and a tiny bit of stubble against her cheek.

Severus rolled off of her and onto his side. He pulled the covers up over both of them, then began stroking Hermione's hair.

She turned towards him and laid her hands on his chest, over a jagged scar that stretched from his left shoulder to under his right nipple. He followed her eyes to the scar, then his eyes moved to the large one on her chest and abdomen that she had received the night Dumbledore's Army went to the Ministry of Magic. Then to her arms and neck, where she had more scars from the Battle of Hogwarts. Finally, he looked at her left forearm, where the ugly slur had once been carved into her flesh. It had long disappeared thanks to his scar vanisher, but he knew she remembered it. He ran a finger over the now clear skin, then over the scar on her chest. Then he removed the glamour charm concealing the scar of Nagini's bite. She ran her fingers gently over it, then kissed it.

Severus finally broke the silence.

"Our scars brought us here, didn't they?"

"Yes, they did. And I wouldn't be here without you."

"Nor I without you, Love. You saved me."

"And you saved me."

She tangled her fingers into his silky black hair and pulled him closer to her. As their lips met, he rolled her onto her back and climbed over her. They made love again, then clung to each other, stroking each other's hair and looking into each other's eyes.

It's amazing how you

can speak right to my heart

Without saying a word

you can light up the dark

Try as I may

I could never explain

What I hear

when you don't say a thing

The smile on your face

lets me know

that you need me

There's a truth in your eyes

sayin' you'll never leave me

The touch of your hand

says you'll catch me

if ever I fall

You say it best

when you say nothing at all*

The early light of the rising sun found them tangled up in each other. A blanket was discarded on the floor and a sheet covered them haphazardly. Hermione had kicked her feet out but still managed to pull part of it off of Severus in her sleep so that only a large corner of it covered his middle.

She was the first to awaken and from where her head lay on his chest, she lifted her left hand up and admired her ring. How he had set this up and bought the ring and made arrangements without her suspecting, she was not sure. But she was so glad he did.

Remembering their tradition of watching the sunrise whenever they traveled, she awakened him. He wrapped a blanket around the both of them and they watched the sun come up from the window of their mountain hotel room.

They returned to Hogwarts after breakfast. Because they had been too wrapped up in each other to sleep very much, they were both tired. But not too tired to make love again on the couch that had brought them together.

Another sunrise found them together, this time in Severus's bed sleeping in a tangle of arms, legs and black silk sheets. Her brown curly hair was spread across his chest and his shoulder, while his black silky locks partially covered his face and the pillow.

This time the Potions Master awakened first, and watched her sleep. He was reminded of the very first time she'd fallen asleep on his chest. It was soon after she'd asked him to confirm her suspicion that she'd been raped at the Manor. At that point, she had no memory of the actual rape, just all the events around it that helped her piece it all together.

She'd come so far, he realized. Incredibly far.

Hermione shifted on his chest and he had to brush strands of her hair away from his face so he could see her. The sheet had slipped down to her waist and he had a full view of her perfect, beautiful breasts. He resisted the urge to touch them, as he was not sure how she would react, so he settled for quietly admiring them. Even with the level of comfort and intimacy they had now, he knew he had to keep in mind she would still be affected by the trauma of her past. He fell back to sleep with his fingers tangled in her hair, feeling her breath against his chest.

When they both woke up again, it was almost lunchtime. It was a Sunday and neither had any pressing responsibilities. They made love again, taking their time to drink up every drop of passion they each shared with the other. Black eyes gazed intensely into brown as they soared towards a crescendo and over the edge.

They walked to The Three Broomsticks and ate at the bar. Madame Rosmerta noticed the ring on Hermione's finger and congratulated them.

The next day, they apparated to the Ministry of Magic and were married by the Minister. Neither wanted a big wedding and they didn't see the point of waiting any longer.

As they each repeated the vows to each other, one line in particular held a special meaning for both of them.

"...in sickness and in health…"

She had loved him through the heart failure that nearly killed him after he had spurned all prevention and treatment. He had loved her through the mental breakdown that twisted through her mind and made her hate him.

-,-'-{

When they returned to the school, they brewed a batch of pain reliever. When the Headmistress arrived several minutes later, they both held up their left hands, showing off their wedding bands.

"Oh, my…" The bespectacled witch held up her hands to her mouth and gasped, tears forming in her eyes. She knew the struggles these two had faced in the previous year.

"I'm so happy for both of you!"

She hugged each of them, even Severus. He'd stood stiffly for a quick moment before softening and hugging her back.

Professor McGonagall gave them one last smile and left.