Harry wasn't quite sure what he was feeling. He also wasn't entirely certain what it was that he was seeing, but that felt safer to dissect. Severus Snape stood in the doorway of the office in Hermione's flat. Black pants. Grey long sleeve henley shirt. Scarred neck. Shaggy hair swept off his face and secured with a loose tie. Alive. Severus Snape is standing in Hermione's flat. Severus Snape is definitely alive. Holy fuck. Harry's brain felt like it was playing this thought on loop.

It wasn't as if he hadn't believed Hermione-of course he had. He would believe her if she told him the sky was really purple but had been charmed to be blue in the middle of the 16th century because a wizard was trying to impress his girlfriend. Really, he would believe anything his best friend told him if she herself believed it. But seeing Severus Snape breathing, talking, standing in front of him...glaring at him. Oh fuck, he's glaring at me and I've done little but gape like a fish.

"Yes, Mr, Potter, your impression of a large mouth bass is to be commended." Snape drawled, his voice holding little malice but more rasp than Harry remembered. "Now cease your staring. The influx of your repetitive and moronic observations are grating on my mind."

Harry snapped his eyes to Hermione at remembering Snape's unparalleled Legimens skill set. Hermione merely shrugged at him and rose off the floor. Speech was still slow to come to his lips as he watched her cross the small space and stop in front of the former Death Eater. Harry exhaled violently as he noted Snape's softened gaze at his best friend, and inhaled just as viciously as Hermione reached out a hand to squeeze the man's bicep. It was the only physical contact the two exchanged, but it was alarmingly intimate to Harry's unindoctrinated psyche and he attempted to focus his breathing while clearing his mind. His occlumency was terrible-he never had attempted to work at it after the handful of lessons at Snape's tutelage in fifth year-but he knew even rudimentary attempts would help the following conversation.

He rose to his feet, seeking to meet the eyes of his former instructor. "Sir."

That was it. That was all he could manage. Even knowing the circumstances of his resurrection, the immeasurable impact the man's actions had held for Harry's entire existence was too overwhelming to form more cohesive thoughts. Harry knew there was so much more he wished he could say to him, many questions he hoped to have answers for, and probably an apology or two that should be exchanged as well. But for now, Harry mustered only the most respectful and shortest greeting possible.

Harry was almost relieved when Snape did nothing more than nod back at him. Hermione had shifted to his left, and Harry could just make out the interlocked fingers between their bodies that Hermione was guiding out of eyesight to just behind her thigh. It made him smile, and gave him a boost of confidence. He knew his best friend, which meant he knew that Severus Snape was not going to be absent from his life from this day forth, and Harry was going to strive to be comfortable with that.

"I suppose you two have some tasks to attend to." Harry began to make his exit known, taking a step to the door, and the couple occupied in its frame.

"Oh, Harry, I don't think you need to leave. Really-" Hermione's voice began, but Harry held his hand up.

"Mi," he smiled at her and glanced at Snape. "I only came over to check on you. I know now you're in good hands. You just let me know if there is anything you need. We'll find a way to talk in a few days once you are settled. Maybe meet back here, or I'll find you at work."

"Yes, I'm sure we can arrange something."She broke from Snape's side as everyone cleared the doorway. Harry felt her arms encircle his waist, her voluminous curls pillowing under his chin as she squeezed a loving hug to him. He brushed the bottom tendrils with his fingers as he returned the familiar show of affection. Dropping the briefest of kisses to the crown of her head, he pulled away and began to stride from the room. He stopped at the sound of his name.

"Potter."

Harry turned around. Snape was extending a small slip of parchment towards him. He took it, reading the words and unsuccessfully hiding his pleasure. Severus Snape and Hermione Granger reside in Thistlebook House, Edinburgh.

"Sir." Harry repeated and cast a wandless spell to incinerate the scrap of parchment before leaving the room.

—xx—

After Harry's departure, Severus and Hermione had made quick work of her office before she had to ready herself for work. After skivving off the last two days, she needed to make an appearance. She left Severus-and Winky-to pack the kitchen and living space. Hermione would see to her bedroom at the end of her shift at St. Mungo's.

Hermione had barely stepped from the floo in the staff room before a shock of blonde hair entered her field of vision. Draco stood just off to her left in the empty room. "Potter sent along that deer to let me know you had resurfaced. Thank Merlin, I was tired of sitting around at home. I have patients too, Granger."

She blinked twice before replying, pulling her lime green robes closed around her, checking for soot. "Hello, Draco, nice to see you too."

He scoffed at her, raising an expectant eyebrow at her, following as she crossed the room. She continued speaking as she stored her bag away in a trunk with her name on it, Draco standing just over her shoulder. "First, it's a stag, not a deer. And just how frequently have you and Harry been conversing in my absence? Bloody hell, I already had a mother-AND Molly Weasley. I don't need you both next in line. Second, why have you been at home while I've been gone?"

The staff room door opened as a couple of apprentice healers entered. The young women spied the pair of them, standing closely together and the young women did little to hide their creeping blushes. Draco looked down at Hermione before brushing her least favorite errant curl behind her ear. She almost froze as his opposite hand encircled her waist, pulling her close to him. Their hips almost flush against each other, Hermione looked up at him and became hazily aware that the young healers were failing at being inconspicuous at watching them. Draco's hand had dropped to join his other arm, decidedly enveloping her in a full embrace more appropriate for the lovers they had adopted in jest for the hospital gossips. Hermione raised her head to look into Draco's light eyes, an imperceptible eyebrow raise of her own indicated she was playing along. He dipped his head to the ear furthest from the audience they had created. Hermione clutched at Draco's forearms as he whispered.

"Whether you like to give it credence, the wizarding public is rather obsessed with you," his breath was light and fanned the baby hairs near her face as he spoke. "Unexplained absences from you would prompt more investigation into areas you-or any other person-might not be ready to divulge. If I were gone at the same time, the gossip would continue in the same vein it has for months now, Granger. We must have taken a vacation to finally consummate that long-simmering, chemistry-fueled attraction you've been so desperately fighting all these months. Little matter that it wasn't actually with me. But I don't imagine you're ready for everyone else to know about that."

He drew back and smirked at her. Hermione gave him a genuine smile, reaching on tip toe to place a brushing kiss against his cheek. She ignored the gasp from the other side of the room. In the many months they had kept up this little game, lips had never met-anywhere-between the two of them. By taking the same days off of work as herself, Draco had covered for her in ways she could not repay him for.

"I love you a little for that." She spoke clearly and loudly. She wanted the gossips to be able to take those words to the vulture-like columnists at The Daily Prophet that still hadn't learned to leave her alone after all these years. Draco's cunningness to carve out time for Severus to re-emerge slowly in society was commendable, if only a little confusing. But she would speak to him later. Now, she just wanted to see her patients so she could return to the little flat, Severus, and finally, home.

—xx—

Hermione entered her flat via the front door and barely recognized the space. It was empty save for the curtains over the windows. She felt a slight constriction in her chest as she noted this would probably be the last time she entered the endearing flat. It had been her first home after the war. Yes, she had spent the better part of a year at Grimmauld, but this little flat had been hers. She was going to miss the memories and time she had invested here. As she was reflecting, Severus strode into the living space from the hallway. Sleeves rolled to his elbows and hair pulled tightly back behind his head, Hermione's breath hitched at the sight of him.

He stopped upon seeing her. His black eyes held her in place, and she could do little else but hold his gaze. He shifted to face her directly, and the movement spurred Hermione to action. She crossed the room in haste, practically throwing herself into his arms. She snaked her arms around his neck pulling him into a possessive, heated kiss. Her lips worked across his, coaxing him into an equal response before they parted and their tongues sought the cavern of each other's mouths. He gripped her waist and as his hands flexed tightly just at the curve of her butt, Hermione moaned, breaking their kiss.

As her mouth drew back from his, she felt Severus draw a hand along her spine to grab the back of her head. He cradled it in his hand, manipulating her to tilt her neck to him and he placed sucking, warm kisses from her jaw, down the exposed skin until he reached the junction at her shoulder. Hermione refused to keep herself idle at his exploration, using her hands to release the tie holding his hair and running her fingers through it. She felt the growl he gave as he laved a bite mark at the base of her neck. She panted slightly as his second hand moved back around the curve of her hip to the front hem of the light sweater she wore. His fingertips traced the sliver of skin just under the fabric, and Hermione was unable to restrain her body's reaction to his featherlight touch. She arched her hips against him and flattened her breasts against the hard planes of his chest.

"I missed you," he incanted against the shell of her ear. "Being here, surrounded by you all day, without you has been the worst isolation I could dream of."

"Coming from a man that has lived cut off from the world for the last 3 years..." she trailed off, thought lost as his hand fully traveled under her sweater to delicately cup one breast, his other hand removed from her hair to slowly stroke her curls. She suddenly did not care what she was going to say. The thought was gone as was the last of her determination to tease her lover any longer. She decidedly pushed away from him and walk past, down the hall. She felt him follow and she quickly began to drop her articles of clothing at her feet as they approached her bedroom.

When she turned to see him, Hermione was pleasantly met with a naked Severus Snape in her doorway. He smirked at the remaining panties she wore, and she swiftly divested herself of them. Her eyes traveled shamelessly up and down his body, focusing briefly on his cock before returning to his face. It was relaxed and open, a look she knew he only wore for her when they could be alone like this. His eyes were currently traveling her body and she waited for them to finish their journey. As black eyes met brown, Hermione stepped forward placing one more kiss on his lips. "I missed you too."

Then she sank to her knees, gently handling his cock with her small hand and looking up at him. She smiled wickedly at his shocked expression, but proceeded to kiss the tip of his erection, sliding her hand up and down the shaft. She maneuvered her other hand to softly caress his testicles, and she felt powerful at the sharp inhale he took. "Fuck, Hermione."

As she opened her mouth to envelop him, Hermione felt the light brushes of Severus' fingers through her hair. She worked him in and out of her mouth, using her hand to make up the difference in length that she could not deep throat. His control was admirable, as only the light touches on her head came, he never gripped her or held her in place. Hermione alternated fondling his bollocks and reaching up his body to play with his nipples. Her eyes took in the sight of his lips parting in gasps and his eyes closing as he reveled in the pleasure she was giving him. She doubled her efforts, sucking harder but then licking with her tongue up and down his shaft to provide varied sensations. When she felt his fingers finally grip her hair, she pulled off of him, allowing Severus to pull her to a standing position. He captured her mouth in a searing kiss before bodily walking her toward the bed.

As Hermione had worked Severus, her own needs had steadily resulted in a dripping core, peaked nipples, and a palpable desire to be filled. When her knees hit the bed, she drew back from Severus turning to climb atop the mattress. She crawled to the center, staying on all fours and threw a smile over her shoulder at him. He followed her, his glistening cock standing proudly ahead of the rest of his body, and she sighed at the sight of him taking himself in hand. She stayed her gaze as he squared up behind her, guiding his dick to tease and slip amongst her wet folds. "Severus, please..."

She knew there was a whining, strained tone to her voice, but she cared little for how it made her sound. In the short period of their sexual exploits she found she struggled to get enough of the dark haired man she wanted to call her own. And she did so desperately want to claim him. She wanted the entirety of their world to know how much she loved him. How deeply she trusted him. How grateful she was that his life was not taken too soon. As their eyes had stayed connected, Hermione was aware her occlumency was not keeping her thoughts hidden. When Severus aligned with her, he bent to whisper in her ear, "I am yours, Hermione. Body and soul."

He hilted in one, and Hermione gasped out her pleasure. The relief their coupling brought her was immeasurable; it was a tangible expression of everything that made them work. She moaned wantonly as he kissed down the back of her shoulder, snaking a hand under her to tease and caress her breasts. His thrusts were unhurried but unrelenting in their pursuit of ecstasy. His large palms and talented fingers worked across and around her pert breasts-fondling, squeezing, tweaking and pinching to push her pleasure further and higher. His other hand rested on her hip to control the steady tempo they had set. No dirty words needed to be exchanged this time, the day's distance from each other had captured that area of foreplay. Instead, Hermione began to steadily chant Severus' name when he dropped his hand from her hip to her clit, circling and applying varied pressure to the sensitive nub.

Soon, the tantalizing touches and deep thrusts became too much for them both. Hermione felt her core tighten just as Severus' thrust bottomed against her cervix. They both screamed their release, Severus' seed coating the inside of Hermione's clenching walls. They collapsed on the bed, folding perfectly into a spooned position, Severus not pulling out of her. Hermione felt his hand splay across the flat of her soft stomach, the other still encircled around her and cupping a breast. They were sweaty from exertion, but too enraptured with each other to move. Hermione broke the silence first. "I am yours, too, Severus. Body and soul."

He kissed her shoulder. She snuggled further into his embrace aware of the twitching of his spent cock within her. She flexed her kegel muscles teasingly back at him.

"Witch, I am not as young as you make me feel. I will need some moments." He breathed against her.

"That's alright, love." She replied, twisting to look at him. "I'm fully expecting our next round to be at home in our bed. I just wanted to give this place a proper send off."

He laughed at that, then looked deeply into her eyes. "I like how that sounds coming from you."

"What's that?"

"Home. Our bed." He graced her with a devastating smile.


A/N: Thank you all for your comments, follows, and favorites. It is so encouraging to see your thoughts and kind words for my fic. It gives me reason to be more prompt in my updates! Look for another before Christmas.

As always, please continue to let me know your thoughts/suggestions/etc. -Archer