"How do you take your tea?"

"What?"

It was about 2 hours after Hermione Granger and Severus Snape had reunited once more. They were lying under a light blanket, a tangle of arms and legs and a fragile happiness.

"It just feels strange; in some ways, I know you so well and in others, I know nothing at all. Like your tea, how do you take it?"

A half-smile brightened Severus' face and Hermione felt her heart rate accelerate. Of course, Severus' half-smiles weren't half-smiles at all, they were mere lifts in the corners of his thin lips, too subtle for most to notice. But Hermione could always see them. In some ways, she felt like they were just for her and perhaps that was why she valued them so.

"Black, one sugar." His voice was dark velvet.

Hermione grinned and bit back her laugh with difficulty.

"What?" A slight scowl that signalled danger replaced the half-smile, but it didn't quite have the same effect when Severus was lying down, naked and messy-haired from sex.

"You're just such a dichotomy." Despite her smile, Hermione kept her voice gentle, knowing that in many ways, the man that she loved so deeply was brittle, and teasing without malice was a relatively new concept for him.

His eyes searched her face for several heartbeats, but seemed to find nothing malevolent there, and she felt rather than watched him relax again.

"How do you take yours?"

"However it comes these days." She answered honestly. "But I used to like it with a little milk and one sugar."

Severus looked thoughtful for a moment.

"What's your favourite hobby?" He asked.

"Reading," she answered. "Yours?"

"Reading."

"Know-it-all."

Severus' rumbling laugh lifted her mood even further.

"Favourite magical being?" She asked, enjoying this conversation more than she wanted to admit.

"Thestrals."

"Thestrals?"

"They're incredible useful, incredibly intelligent and almost universally misunderstood."

"Remind you of anyone we both know, Severus?"

"Don't be absurd. What's yours?"

"Crookshanks."

"That giant, ginger thing who harboured an unhealthy love for Sirius Black?"

"Severus! You can't always judge people by the company they keep."

"He's not people he's a cat. But I suppose you may have a point. What on earth would people think of you?"

Hermione laughed.

"He's part kneazle actually. And for the record I don't give a flying fudge what people would think."

"Cornelius has never been much of a flyer anyway."

"You are just impossible sometimes." Hermione grinned.

He smiled in response, a warm, genuine expression that gave a slight glimpse of the man he might have been, if only his life had been different.

"I would like to change my answer."

"Very well. What is your revised favourite magical being, Severus?"

He broke eye contact and scowled at the floor, then seemed to force himself to look back up at her.

"You." He looked away again, allowing his hair to fall across his face, but not before Hermione caught a glimpse of his heated cheeks and the pained expression on his face. Apparently this admission had cost him a lot.

"Severus." Propping herself up on her elbow, Hermione reached over and brushed the hair off his face, gently pulling his chin up and willing him to look at her. "You're almost on a par with Crookshanks."

His deep, obsidian eyes widened comically, and she could keep a straight face no longer. Her laughter sounded loud and wild in the quiet night air.

"You – you!"

Before she could finish laughing, Severus had her on her back, hands pinned above her head, his knee between her thighs, and all thoughts of humour vanished from her mind.

Later – perhaps even many years later – Hermione would look back and wonder what on earth had compelled her to respond to his confession the way she had. She knew better than anyone how damaged he was and how terrifying he found emotional expressions. The man hadn't even been physically able to tell her he loved her until she'd almost died. But the sheer mischief on his face as he looked down at her in that moment made the risk entirely worthwhile.

"I love you more than anything, Severus," she whispered, suddenly breathless. "I've told you before."

"I know." He answered, and his face was somehow gentle, despite the wildness lighting his eyes.

"You believe me?"

"I'm beginning to, Hermione."

The corners of her eyes felt tight and hot and she blinked a couple of times, surprised by her own reaction to his words.

"Kiss me." She'd barely finished speaking before his lips found hers. His kisses were somehow simultaneously more gentle and yet more harsh than usual, and though his hands stayed on her wrists, still pinned above her, it seemed to take mere minutes for goosebumps to cover her body, and the tingle of need and arousal to grow steadily between her legs.

"Tell me you love me." His voice was ragged.

"I love you, Severus."

His eyes fluttered closed … and he kissed her again … and the hunger that she was so used to began to creep back into his kisses. While his hands remained holding her firmly in place, his mouth started to move. He kissed by her ear, then down her neck and along her shoulders, his hair draping silkily across her skin.

"I love you."

He groaned as she said it again, and the vibration of that groan across her skin, and his lips and his hair and his presence were all just too much. Silently thankful that their clothes had already been discarded, Hermione shifted herself slightly, pushing herself down to rub against the knee placed so strategically between her legs. Severus stopped, and looked at her in wonder.

"How can you want me?" His voice was barely above a whisper.

"I love you." She moaned, surprised by the extent of her own need.

"How can you love me?" He was so beautiful, his face close to hers, his scars on display, his insecurities out in the open.

"I know you." She answered, her amber eyes locked with his. "How could I not love you."

Severus shut his eyes and rested his head against hers. His breath was hot and fast against her skin, his bare chest heaved against hers and Hermione could not comfort him with her hands still lying above her.

"I love you, Severus."

It was as if her words brought him back to life. He pushed her hands together and held them in place with one of his own, using his free hand to stroke the hair away from her face. Then he kissed her. It was a kiss that you read about in romantic novels. It was stifling in its intensity. It consumed her, it owned her. And as he began to pull away, Hermione followed him as far as she was able, stopping only when her neck could reach no higher. They stared at one another for several heartbeats, then Severus smiled and began kissing her once more, while one hand trailed slowly, ever so slowly down her body, millimetre at a time, grazing one nipple as it went and making her shiver and ache. As he grazed that hand down her stomach, Hermione began to feel herself squirm, and when he finally placed his hand between her legs, her hips rose off the ground to meet him.

"Is this what you want?" He asked, as his fingers brushed over her clit.

"Yes." She moaned, feeling herself shifting to try and get more contact.

"Tell me that you are mine." He demanded, and though his voice was liquid velvet, there was a hint of roughness around the edges that told Hermione just how important this was to him.

"I'm yours." She answered, as firmly as she could, given the circumstances.

"Do you mean that? I want the truth."

"Of course I do." She whispered. "Severus, I wait for you. I watch for you. I keep going, for you. I can't breathe because I'm missing you. You own me, I belong to you."

He stopped and stared at her. His eyes were wide and startled, his pale skin flushed and glistening, his limp hair in disarray. And there was something so terribly hopeful, so painfully happy on his face that Hermione felt a tear fall hotly and wetly down her cheek.

"You own me." He whispered. "You control me. I belong to you. I need you to tell me you love me because no one else has before, and I love you. I'm in love with you. My every feeling is controlled by the look on your face. I can't breathe without you. I can't sleep without you. I wait for you, I watch for you. I exist for you. Do you have any idea how terrifying that is for someone like me?"

"It scares me too, sometimes. But I love you, Severus. I will always love you."

And they were equals again. And he began to stroke her properly. And she was so relieved she nearly wept. He kissed her neck as his fingers moved against the most sensitive part of her being, and Hermione could feel pressure begin to build, starting right from her core and spreading over her arse and down her legs.

"I love you." She told him, as he brought her right to the brink of ecstasy.

He pushed himself inside her then, sensing how close she was, and while she longed to pull her hands out from his grip and tangle them in his hair, there was something magical about watching him above her, the only distraction being her own need.

"I love you." She told him, as he finally began to move inside her.

"I love you." She screamed, as his hips pushed her over the edge.

Severus followed her over moments later, moaning into her neck, collapsing at her side, finally releasing her hands and then pulling her into his arms.

"I love you." He whispered, his breath dancing across her face as she drifted into a contented sleep.

They woke just before dawn, still in the tightest of embraces.

"I can feel you frowning." Severus murmured.

"We'll be leaving Shell Cottage soon." Hermione answered, her voice still deep from her slumber.

She felt Severus stiffen beneath her.

"I wasn't aware you had plans." There was an accusatory note in his low voice that made her frown deepen.

"I didn't want to speak of them yet. I didn't want to ruin the little time we have together."

"I take it I will not approve of these plans then?"

"No, Severus. You really won't approve, but it's something we have to do."

She felt him go to speak and quickly put her fingers on his lips, stopping him.

"Please, let's not talk of it now. Last night was just so perfect. I want us to at least have one perfect memory together."

"Very well." He said finally. "But it must be the first thing we discuss next time."

"Okay." Hermione agreed. "We're going at the end of next week-"

"Then I will see you mid-week. I do not wish to interfere with any last-minute preparations. Or stop you from getting any sleep."

"I sleep much better with you." She told him, feeling almost shy to admit it.

"As do I." He confessed, his voice a deep rumble across his chest. Hermione snuggled closer.

"We're lucky we get a 'next time' and yet it seems so unfair that I won't get to see you regularly anymore. I've gotten greedy, haven't I?"

"It's not greed, Hermione. Most people do not have to contend with being at the centre of a major war when they are … together."

"Well, I suppose it'll just make it all the better when the war is finally over."

Severus pulled her closer and kissed her forehead, but for once did not argue.

Later, when they were up and dressed, he clutched her to his chest, tighter than ever as he prepared to leave, they kissed only briefly, not daring to take up any more time when the sun was rising fast.

Hermione was just pulling the bed covers over the top of herself when a pair of large, blue eyes caught her attention.

"Morning Luna, I was just coming back from the bathroom."

"I saw you take your shoes off." The blonde girl said lightly.

"An -uh- just a weird habit I guess." Hermione tried to smile.

"I wear my shoes to bed sometimes." Luna said, her eyes boring into Hermione's. "But that's not what you were doing."

The Ravenclaw had always seemed completely unafraid of confrontation.

"Luna … I-"

"I know you disappear, some nights. Are you going to meet someone?"

Hermione felt herself grow hot as her heart rate accelerated and panic flooded her body.

"It's okay if you don't want to tell me. And it's okay if it's a secret. You always come back so much happier, so I'm not worried."

Hermione let out a long breath she wasn't aware she'd been holding.

"It is a secret." She said heavily. "But maybe when all of this is over, we can talk about it."

"Okay, I'd like that." Said Luna easily. "Just watch out for the Knargles, they're particularly active late at night."

"Thanks Luna."

They both settled down to sleep a little longer and despite this unexpected complication, Hermione found that she wasn't particularly worried. Apparently she'd come to trust Luna Lovegood.

"Have you all lost your minds?" His question was a furious snarl and Hermione had to consciously stop herself from flinching.

"Severus-"

"Let me get this straight," he interrupted, "the three of you are planning to leave the safety of Shell Cottage, with a goblin, disguise yourself as Bellatrix Lestrange and Weasley as a sympathetic friend while Potter and the goblin hide under the invisibility cloak, in order to break into one of the most guarded buildings in the entire wizarding world. Because you … think … there … might be a horcrux in the Lestrange vault?"

Hermione nodded mutely, unsure of what to do in the face of such extreme anger.

"Have … you … lost … your … mind?" He hissed, his face flushed and his mouth twisted with rage.

"No." She swallowed, looking up at him and starting to realise why he was so angry. "We have to do this, Severus. You know we have to do this. This is the first decent lead we've had for months! The way Bellatrix reacted when she thought we'd been in her vault… We must do this. We have to try. You know we do."

"Yes of course I know." He snapped. "I know perhaps better than you do."

He sighed and ran his long fingers through his greasy hair, turning away from her.

"But your plan is so dangerous. As far as I know, Bellatrix is still in disgrace and unable to leave the house, if this information has reached the workers at Gringotts it will all be over before it has even begun. The bank has so many security measures, more than any one goblin could know of, and besides, goblins cannot be trusted, you must know this, Hermione. I don't, for one second, believe that you were one of the students who viewed History of Magic as a free period."

He was making an effort to reign in his temper and for that, Hermione attempted to smile at him, though his words had made her afraid all over again. She knew full well how dangerous their plan was. It made her feel sick to even imagine them going through with it. But equally she knew full well that they had no choice.

"Your plan is so dangerous that success seems … it seems impossible."

His voice almost broke on the last word, and Hermione threw her arms around his neck and felt tears sting in her eyes as his arms came crashing round her so hard that he lifted her from the floor.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered into his neck, her legs wrapped around his waist. "I wish there was a better way, I wish I could promise you that it's safe and that we'll be fine and I'll come straight back to you, but I can't. This is just something that must be done. We're as prepared as we possibly can be, and it just might get us one step closer to finishing this, Severus."

"I suppose asking you to stay behind is not an option?" He whispered.

"What do you think?"

"Why must you always be such a Gryffindor?" He sighed, and the mournful tone of his voice almost made her laugh.

"It's who I am, and besides, we need to give this opportunity the best possible chance of success. And that's with the three of us, together."

"Yes, yes, I know you're the brains behind the operation, but I cannot stand the thought of you being in such danger."

He placed her gently back on the floor, drew himself out of her embrace and took her face in his hands.

"You are the most … the most … precious thing in the entire universe…" His cheeks heated and his posture revealed how uncomfortable he was saying this to her, but to his credit, he held her gaze unflinchingly. "I can't … without you…"

"I'm not going anywhere." She told him gently. "I will do everything in my power to keep my promise to you, Severus."

He grasped the back of her neck and pulled her forwards, kissing her forehead and then pulling her into his arms.

"Every fibre of my being is telling me to stop this, to keep you safe."

"This war has to end, Severus. It must. And I must do everything I can to help bring about that end."

"I know." He whispered, and tightened his arms around her, as if he could keep her safe simply by keeping hold of her.

About an hour later Hermione and Severus were seated on a blanket on the forest floor. Neither had said much since Severus had learned of their plan to break into Gringotts, but Hermione was sat in a small space in the middle of Severus' crossed legs, one hand in her lap, the other pressed gently against his chest. His arms were around her, holding her against him tightly, possessively even, her head tucked under his chin. Hermione would have been more comfortable if he lessened his grip slightly, but she couldn't bring herself to deny him of something that seemed to bring him comfort, especially in light of what was to come later that week.

"I can feel your tension." His voice was lower than usual.

"I'm thinking about what we're going to do." She answered honestly and felt Severus stiffen slightly.

"Go on."

"It's silly really, it's just – Bellatrix, being Bellatrix. I'm dreading it so much I don't even know what to do with myself. I know it's just a potion and it's only temporary and I won't actually be her, but I just… Either I'll pull it off, and people will believe I'm really her, or I won't be able to manage it, and the whole thing will fall apart, and I honestly don't know which scares me more."

"You must play your part convincingly, Hermione. That is essential."

"I know it is, and I will do my best, you know I will. But there's a part of me that cannot bear the thought of anyone believing I'm really her. And I know that's the whole point and I know I'm being ridiculous-"

"It's not ridiculous." He interrupted, his voice barely above a whisper. "Having no desire for people to believe the worst of you is perfectly understandable."

His words gave Hermione pause.

"That's all anyone's ever done of you, isn't it, Severus? Believed the very worst?" She felt him go still and tense, felt his heartbeat accelerate. "No one hesitated to believe that you were loyal to You-Know-Who and had killed Dumbledore on his orders."

For a time, he did not answer, and Hermione was on the verge of apologising when his voice finally began to rumble across her body.

"We knew no one would question what had happened. It was such a given that we didn't even discuss it. I knew how it would look and I knew everyone would believe the worst of me … and yet it still … still hurt when they did. It's been that way my whole life."

Hermione swallowed against the hot lump in her throat, twisting in his lap to look up into his deep obsidian eyes, filled with a hurt that she doubted he'd ever voiced before.

"I'm the brightest witch of my age." She told him, trying for a small smile. "Perhaps everyone else has simply been too stupid to realise who you truly are."

For a moment, the look of shock on Severus' face broke her heart. And then the corners of his lips lifted, and a look of almost boyish excitement filled his eyes. And then he kissed her.

This time was all gentle, all slow, all loving. It was as if each of them were acutely aware that this time could easily be the last time they were intimate, and each wanted to show the other just how much they were cherished. Clothes were taken off slowly, reverently. Bare skin was stroked, kissed, worshipped. Breathing was laboured, voices were hushed, faces were caressed. The cool night air danced around the clearing, blowing back hair and igniting senses. Hermione remembered everything from that night; she remembered the rough edged, grey tinged clouds obscuring the moon, she remembered the sound of the leaves rustling in the trees high above her, she remembered the cool grass against her legs where the blanket ended, and the smell and taste of Severus' skin as he gave himself to her that final time. He pushed her higher, higher, stilling his hips now and then to reach down and capture her lips with his own. It seemed to go on like this for hours, until Hermione was bathing in such a wash of pleasure she could barely breathe. Then two words broke from Severus' thin lips. Those two words tore from his mouth, shattering the spell that seemed to exist between them, breaking the silence and peace of the night, tearing through Hermione's consciousness and taking everything away.

"Touch me."

One of her hands was on his shoulder, while the other lay tangled in his hair, and though Severus continued moving, Hermione felt frozen, excited beyond belief and terrified in equal measure. He needed control, especially when it came to this, yet he seemed to be giving it away.

One hand slipped down to join the other at his shoulders, but Hermione hesitated, afraid to damage the man she loved so desperately. Something of her fear must have shown in her face, for Severus' smiled gently at her, and she knew that this was what he wanted.

Both hands moved down. Not slow, not fast. A guttural groan escaped Severus' mouth, and his hips drove into her harder, faster.

One hand moved along the ragged scar the spanned the width of his chest, then joined the other over the top of his heart. Severus' eyes burned into hers, his mouth was a hard line, but he did not tell her to stop. She moved both hands back to his shoulders, then a rush of need and excitement and recklessness burst through her, and she grazed her fingertips ever so gently down his chest, feeling every bump and dip of scar tissue as she went, acutely aware that she was probably the only person ever to touch him like this.

She was just reaching his navel when his face twisted, his hips thrust into her almost brutally, and a sound close to a scream tore from his mouth as his orgasm took him over. For a moment, Hermione felt a moment of absolute clarity and absolute victory. And then her own release came rushing through her, and she came with a quiet cry as Severus collapsed on top of her. When she regained her senses, Hermione shifted slightly beneath him until he was resting with his head on her chest, one of his legs thrown over both of hers. As she bent forward to kiss the top of his raven head, she realised with a jolt, what a state her Slytherin seemed to be in. His body was trembling against hers, his breath still coming out in shallow, gasping bursts.

"Was it … was it okay?" She asked fearfully. "Did I go too far, or-"

"It was p-perfect." He whispered in response.

She tightened her arm around his shoulders in response and kissed the top of his head once more.

"Perfect." She murmured in agreement.

Hermione ran her fingers softly through Severus' hair, over and over again, while one hand still clutched his shoulders possessively. She had expected him to slowly calm himself, but as the time went on, he only seemed to become more undone. He was shivering against her, his breath still coming out in bursts as his hand clutched at her side. She suspected he was working very hard to stop himself from crying. Frowning against the wave of pain this thought brought her, Hermione silently summoned her wand and conjured a warm blanket to cover them both, then returned her hand back to Severus' shoulders. Her thumb rubbed against his skin while she tried to figure this out.

"Tell me." She said eventually, her voice tender even to her own ear.

He swallowed a couple of times as he fought for enough control to be able to comply.

"At first it was j-just the … the intensity of being touched like that. But now…"

"Now what, Severus?"

"Now… It-it's hard to explain to s-someone like you. I don't … I don't think you could understand."

While his words instantly made her bristle – if there was one thing Hermione Granger did not like, it was being told she didn't understand – she knew he hadn't meant it unkindly.

"Could you try to explain, Severus? I want to understand."

He took a few gulping breaths in.

"It-it's… it's what you're doing now-"

Instantly Hermione stilled the hand on his hair and let the other drop away from his shoulders as a feeling close to panic began to flow through her.

"Is it not-not good?" She asked, horrified. "I thought you liked-"

"No!" He half shouted; half sobbed. "It is good, I do like it… But it's … it's like I-I need it."

For a time, he was quiet, and Hermione slowly began to stroke his hair once more and eventually placed her arm back around him. She thought she might have some idea how he felt. For a while she'd felt like he longed for her touch, but it was obvious he feared it too, and perhaps it wasn't surprising, given what the man had been through. As she bent to kiss his head once more, he surprised her by speaking.

"You've been loved, your whole life." His voice was hushed, it sounded almost calm, at odds with the tremors still washing over his body. "I have not. I-I know what's normal, I've seen it, being a teacher. Kindness; holding hands, a touch on the shoulder in comfort, even a push on the arm in jest. I … I've never … had that. Even Lily was careful to avoid touching me, she knew how I felt … I suppose she worried it would make it worse. Someone like you just … just can't know what that does to a person. I didn't even really know until recently … until-until you. What you do … what you're doing now … is just … just so … I just need it. It's … everything. I don't ever want it to stop. I'm desperate for it. I-"

It seemed he could say no more.

For a while, Hermione could feel nothing but inexplicable gratitude that he had managed to be so open with her. She felt honoured. And then his words caught up with her, and a deep understanding began to form in her mind, she had come close to comprehending this before; Severus was not a man who inspired kindness. It went beyond that, of course; from the little she knew of his childhood, it was not easy to imagine him experiencing normal childhood things; cuddles and kisses and presents from adoring relatives. She knew his time at Hogwarts had been fraught with altercations with the Marauders, while his so-called friends and his fascination with the Dark Arts had led him towards joining the Death Eaters. He must have spent his time hiding, anticipating attacks, fighting, learning Darker and Darker things. She thought of her own time at Hogwarts, granted, it hadn't always been easy, but she doubted Severus had got to go through it with the solid and reliable friendships she had. Ron and Harry weren't particularly demonstrative, but they were overwhelmingly kind and loyal and good. Even Parvati and Lavender would smile at her and offer some form of comfort if she was having a bad day. Severus had had Lily for some of those years, but their friendship would have always carried some sort of pain for him, doused with unrequited love, as it was. And it had ended so abruptly, so brutally. She remembered Severus as the teacher he had been while she was at Hogwarts; cruel, caustic and despised. And the students had been so cruel to him, the hostility must have been a tangible thing, at times. The rumours about him had been ruthless, he had been mocked, called every rude name under the sun. This hadn't been completely unprovoked, of course, but Hermione couldn't help but feel slightly sick at the thought of it. And now things must surely be worse than ever for him, he was so, so isolated. Before her life had become so tied to his, she wondered how long it had been since he had been shown compassion, comfort. Had he ever been held, cared for, truly loved? There had been so much love and laughter in her life and surely so very little in his.

The loneliness of Severus Snape suddenly struck her, it stole through her body, making her feel cold. For so long, he had had no one. Not a soul to confide in, to rely on, not one person to shoulder some of his burden, his pain and grief. Not even anyone to laugh with or smile at him with genuine warmth. And touch, no wonder he found it so difficult, who knew what the absence of physical contact did to a person over so many years. There were tears in Hermione's eyes that she didn't notice until they spilt down her cheeks. It was real, bone deep empathy that she was feeling, perhaps he was right, and she couldn't fully understand, but she knew she was close, and she knew she could feel some of what he had suffered.

Instinctively, she began to touch him more. One hand remained around his shoulders, holding him closely to her, but she allowed the other to move. She caressed his face, touching his forehead, the length of his nose, his cheek, his jawline. She stroked the shell of his ear, down the side of his neck, along his collarbone, across his shoulders. She rubbed slow circles down the length of his arm until she came to his hand. Hermione picked his hand up and brought it to her, kissing each of his fingers, and finally, the centre of his palm. Suddenly, a damn seemed to break inside of Severus, and he cried openly against her. It was different, somehow, to when he'd cried all those months ago at Grimmauld Place. He had cried then because of the pain of losing Dumbledore in such terrible circumstances. He was crying now, she supposed, because of the pain of a lifetime's worth of loneliness, and perhaps, in a strange way, he was crying out of relief, relief that he wasn't alone anymore. His tears felt like a release of sorts, a tidal wave of supressed emotions. She clutched him, trembling and broken as he was, tighter than ever, holding him, stroking him, caressing every inch of him she could reach, whispering words of love and comfort to him and kissing his head. In all probability, no one had ever done this for him before, no one had simply been there.

"I-I think I get it, or at least, I'm beginning to." She whispered. "I need you too, maybe not in the same way, but I couldn't do this without you. And I don't just mean this war, I don't just need you when I'm suffering. I need you, always. I couldn't stand for you to ever … ever not be there. And I don't want you to be afraid, Severus. I'm never going to abandon you, I'm never going to tire of you, I'm never going to grow impatient or indifferent and I'm never going to push you to do anything you're not ready for. I will always be here and I will always love you. Anything you want to share, anything you want to tell me or give me I will be grateful for, but you mustn't feel obligated or pressured to do anything you're not comfortable with. I will listen and I won't judge and I will forgive you when you mess up. I swear to you, Severus, as long as I live, you will never be alone again."

"And even if everything goes okay at Gringotts-"

"Don't talk like that!" He interrupted, his voice raw with emotion, even as his body began to calm. "Don't speak as if you won't… as if…"

"Just listen to me!" Hermione almost shouted. "Even if everything goes to plan, I probably won't get to see you for a while… So, I just want you to know … I need you to know … how well thought of you are. How cared for you are… How deeply, desperately loved you are. Please don't forget or doubt any of those things, Severus. You are so … so important to me-"

"Why?" The honest confusion in his voice almost broke her.

"Because…" For a moment, her mind went blank. What could she say to him that wouldn't sound cliché or trite? What could she say that he would actually believe? He was the most beautiful soul she had ever encountered but telling him so would be futile. How could she possibly put the enormity of what she felt for him into words, and words he would believe?

"You told me once, Severus, that I made you feel whole. That's how I feel too. It's like I didn't even realise I wasn't whole, before, but now I only … only feel like a complete person when you're with me. I … You're my home, Severus, and I know that probably doesn't mean a whole lot to you, I know your home wasn't a happy one. But mine was, and it still doesn't compare to you. Nowhere has ever felt like home as much as when we're together. When it's just you and me, it's like … it's like everything's right. You're the most complex person I've ever met, you've been through unimaginable horrors, and yet you're still this-this wonderful human being. You're so brave and so loyal and you have this unbelievable capacity to love. You make me laugh, you make me feel safe and special and important and beautiful in a way no one else ever could … and I'm just so in awe of you…"

Hermione gave herself a moment to collect herself, unused to having to voice such private feelings.

"You're important to me because I love you. And I love you because you are you."

He began to calm much quicker then, and soon their soft breathing and the leaves rustling in the trees was the only sound that broke the silence. Suddenly Severus pulled himself off her and shifted his weight onto an elbow to look deep into her eyes.

"Are you real?" He asked, his expression grave.

"Yes, Severus. Definitely real."

"And are you mine?"

"Yes, Severus. Always."

A slightly brittle smile lifted his sallow face as he gazed down on her.

"I love you." He said quietly, looking suddenly shy.

"I love you too." She replied.

And so they slept that night, pressed tightly together under a starry sky, each trying desperately to appreciate the few hours of peace they had left together. At dawn, they kissed in silence. Everything that needed to be said had been said the night before, and both knew that no words could make this parting any easier. As Hermione squeezed his disillusioned hand, and walked back into the protection of Shell Cottage, she couldn't quite shake the feeling that it was some sort of an ending.

I'm so sorry it's been almost 5 years, but I am back and this story is now complete. I still need to edit the remaining chapters and write the epilogue, but I'll aim to post once a week until it's all done. The next chapters are a bit shorter.

And to everyone who has left reviews and sent me messages over the last few years, thank you. You're the reason I came back and finished. As Alan Rickman once said 'this is not reality, it's a romance, so take a breath ... enjoy it, it's for you.'