Severus tapped the three brick stones on the wall to get from Diagon Alley into the Leaky Cauldron.
Walking up to the counter and sitting down, he nodded towards Ben, the new innkeeper.
"How are ye? Is the business going well?", the man asked. He was Irish and Severus was not annoyed by him, which said a lot.
"Keeps us busy enough", he replied. "Will you keep us a table for dinner?"
"Sure, look it", Ben said wiping off the counter. "Dinner is on the house for ye tonight. I'll see ye laters."
Ben and his wife had a son that had just started his last year at, and Severus gave him potions lessons whenever he was home on holidays. He was extremely gifted and had accepted an apprenticeship with Guillaume's new potion master in residence, a very well-known former Professor from the Paris conservatoire.
Thanking Ben for the offer, Severus inclined his head and left back for the Apothecary.
After long consideration, Hermione had sold their flat to Susan, the woman who had lived under them, and they had bought the Apothecary in Diagon Alley about four years ago. They lived on the second floor when they were in London, and Hermione had her practice on the first floor. Money had been tight the first few years after they had left Hogwarts, because she had gone back to Oxford to study psychology and Severus had insisted she put all her energy into her studies. When they took over the Apothecary and she had started taking clients however it had been quickly getting better.
He spotted the cupboard with rare alpine herbs he had imported from France and remembered that he wanted to take stock, so he knew what to get the next time he visited Guillaume.
Just as he carefully looked through the saxifragas Hermione came downstairs.
"I sorted out dinner", he said.
"Did you really?", she chuckled. "Let me guess… The Leaky Cauldrons lamb stew!"
"Not to take away!", he replied instantly. "I got a table tonight."
"My, you have outdone yourself!", she laughed and even after year and years of hearing it he did not grow tired of the blessed sound.
She walked over to him and leaned onto the counter to watch him work.
"Could you apparate home to get some things at some point today?", he asked her.
They grew many of their ingredients in their cottage garden, which over the years had been expanded to about six times its original size.
"I've got one more person coming now in an hour", she said checking the time swiftly with a tempus charm. "After that I'll pop up."
Severus plodded on with his work, as Hermione received a young lady and took her upstairs. Of course, Severus had no idea what she was talking about with her clients, it was an ethical code of conduct that Hermione would never break, but when she came back downstairs, he could tell that she was still thinking about it, although the lady had left them a while ago.
"Self-care?", he asked quietly and she looked up at him.
The smile that adorned her beautiful plum lips and filled her fawn brown eyes with so much love made him realise again and again, just how lucky he was to be living his life with her.
They had their routine, when Hermione needed her self-care. Severus locked up the apothecary early, stretched out his hand for hers and apparated them to Wildrose Cottage.
He wasn't a fan of the name Hermione had given their home upon discovering wild roses growing at the back of the annex, and he made fun of it whenever he could, but secretly he thought, there was a heart-warming beauty inherent in the name.
They landed on the grassy lane that led down to the house. The had bought the two fields surrounding their property and planted more trees on it. They weren't very big yet, but they've had a good few apples and pears last year.
It was a beautiful warm afternoon in July, the sun kissed Hermione's hair, and her warm arm slung around his back filled him with love and comfort.
They took a shower together, not being sexual but very intimate. He washed her hair and combed it, helped her into her light cotton dressing gown afterwards and set up some coffee to make her a cappuccino.
They were sitting outside the house on their bench, and Severus worked her hair into a plait whilst Hermione worked through her thoughts. She did it mainly in silence, only sometimes asking him for his opinion on something. He sometimes wishes he could help her more, but he knew if anyone in the world was capable of helping other people with their problems, is was Hermione. And for some reason, his presence and the odd time when she needed a few hours to recharge, seemed to be enough for her to carry the lives of people that had put their trust into her.
She turned around and kissed him, then got up and walked across the garden, her bare feet being as light as fairy wings. He followed her and just before he reached her, she slid her dressing gown over her shoulders and dropped it onto the warm grass.
She was the crowning of creating, a goddess in her own right, and he loved her so much it physically impacted him. The waves of admiration and breathlessness transfixed him, he was helpless before her and he wanted to cry in joy every minute of every day.
Walking up to her slowly, he lowered his head and kissed her.
"I love you."
They sank onto the ground, becoming one in body and soul, the warm sunrays blessing their bond. His face hovered over hers. With closed eyes he took in her touch, burying his nose in her hair, touching her softly with his lips.
He did not understand how he had every deserved this or would ever deserve it in future. He lay at her full mercy, being utterly and irreversibly transfixed by the godly grace of her.