She didn't see what happened next though, she heard Snape call out to her, caught a glimpse of his bloody and worried visage as his arms wrapped around her, then the ground rushed up to meet her as everything went black.

The world came back to her in snippets of random sensations. Her canine heightened senses first bringing her familiar yet not smells, and sounds before she even began to take stock of the darkness around her and the strange feelings in her body.

She drifted in and out, until finally awakening entirely, and she knew with just the scents and sounds that were surrounding her, that she was somewhere new. Her body was rocked with discomfort and nausea, but she didn't feel much actual hurt apart from the throbbing where the knife had entered her shoulder, taking the chance that she was in no immediate danger, for had someone wanted to hurt her they would've already done so while she was asleep and vulnerable, she made the decision to keep her eyes closed as she took in her surroundings further.

As the fogginess cleared from her senses, she felt the warmth and comfort on what she was laid on, and what felt like the warmth of a fire beside her. She could've wept for that alone, the biting cold of many nights past being an all too familiar thing. She could tell from the cracks and pops it exuded and the nostalgic smell of woodsmoke that it was a real fire and not a muggle heater or radiator and she allowed herself the pleasant memories for a moment of Hogwarts and the common room in Gryffindor tower.

So she was warm, and comfortable, dry and though she was still hungry she was no longer painfully so. Her body however felt sluggish and tight and a subtle movement of one of her limbs, only made the discomfort worse. With a shock she also realised she felt lighter and with that realisation she jerked fearfully awake, all pretences of feigning sleep, forgotten in her panic.

"Easy...easy girl, don't push yourself" the familiar voice came and she struggled to focus on him, blurry eyes finally locking onto him where he knelt an arms length away from her, reaching out as if to pet her.

He was drawn and pale , stark blue bruises covered his face and his arms that she could see weren't covered by his shirtsleeves, some of which had faded into sickly yellow. His clothes were rumpled and unkempt as though he'd slept in them for days and his hair was as lank and greasy as she had ever seen it. A moment later she realised he also smelled like he hadn't showered in days.

Her nose crinkled without her consent, body odour didn't bother her canine senses but it did bother her human sensibilities. He pulled back quickly with a look of more hurt than she'd ever seen, and she realised he must've thought she was threatening him. She quickly dropped her lip , and let loose an exacerbated sigh that made him twitch his lip in an almost smile.

Once more though, panic swam through her and she attempted to turn and examine her side, only to find herself wrapped in so many bandages, she looked as though she'd just been discovered in and Egyptian tomb.

"Steady yourself, you'll pull your stitches"

He scolded once more and his hands, gentler than she thought possible from him, eased her back down to a prone position on her side. Sitting up seemed like too much effort anyway, so she went along with his requests but it didn't stop her scenting the air emphatically as what was left of her ears twitched side to side listening for the sounds she so desperately wanted to hear and only finding silence.

Her eyes met his, and he looked away from her, unable to meet her gaze. She whined then. Begged him to understand what she was asking him and it seemed that on some level he did.

Settling gingerly on the floor, he sat beside her and after a moment cautiously placed a gentling hand on her uninjured shoulder.

"I wished I could give you better news." His voice quieter and softer than she'd ever heard it. His hand not petting her, but a constant presence.
"You risked your life for me and you had no reason to do so. I wanted so much to save you, to save them but I could not, they could not."

Another whine broke from her but she did not move. It had been too long since she'd felt such warmth and comfort, even if it was being tainted by the words he was speaking.

"I took you straight to the veterinarian. Spent every penny I had and then some, so that they would fix you for me. So forgive me for the makeshift bed, but it will be a while before I can afford something better"

With a start she realised the luxurious comfort she was reclined on, was in fact a tattered old blanket, most likely his old one as it smelled strongly of him.

For a long time he was silent and then he spoke again.

"They couldn't save them. Your babies. I am sorry. They had already passed when I got you there, though they said they had perhaps passed on as early as the day before. Had you gone into labour they would've been still born. You had an infection in the womb, Pyometra they called it, so they had to remove it... and them to save your life."

He was quiet again, the only sound being the occasional pop, crackle or hiss from the wood fire.

"They said it was best to also remove... you had terrible mastitis. An infection in your...chest. They said it is something they see often in...females who have had many...litters. Which is the reason for all the bandages, you probably feel quite tight as well so we need to try and keep you steady so you don't pull the stitches."

No wonder she felt so light. The numerous puppies her canine body had mothered, had left her with a very visible reminder as her canine breasts had sagged painfully down to her knees almost. Not anymore.

She felt like she should be hysterical. She'd been neutered. They'd done a complete mastectomy. Were she human she'd be barren, have no breasts, no ears...She should be a wreck, but she found it was just one other thing. Just another thing. She had long since given up hope of ever finding herself human again, so instead she chose to focus on the positives. No more children to worry about, to love and to lose. No more pain in her chest when she walked, and heavy weight that pulled on her back. No more encounters with male dogs. These were all good things, so she focused on those lest her mind unhinge entirely.

"I had them cremated... I didn't want them to just be disposed of. When you are better...if you decide to stay, we can..." He trailed off with a shrug but didn't say any more.

The shrug almost startled her more than the gesture that he'd had her puppies cremated for her. For it was such an un-snapelike gesture that it almost shook her to the core, but despite the emotional pain that racked through her, she was touched.

"If you decide to stay" He spoke again. "For I shall not force you. I will not chain you or lock you up, when you are healed you are free to come and go as you please. But I would...like it, if you chose to stay...with me"

She was silent watching this taciturn man speak so openly.

"I have been so very...alone... these past years. Talking to you in the garden has been the most friendly contact I have had in years."

Friendly? She had bared her teeth at him and he had snarled right back.

Staring into the fire, he spoke quietly and almost trancelike, not even facing her.

"I was a spy you see. There was a war and I started off on the wrong side of it, though soon realised what an error I had made. I was only a boy then, 18 fresh out of Hogwarts, no money, no friends, no prospects. They took me in, gave me purpose and position but the cost was a lot greater than I had ever thought possible and I quickly realised I was in over my head."

He shook his head, clearly disgusted with himself.

"So I went back home, to Hogwarts. The only place that I'd ever felt something akin to belonging and I begged the headmaster to get me out, and to protect my friends whom had become targets of the mad man's agenda because of my own stupidity. He agreed to protect them , at the cost of my soul. So I traded one master for another and I became his spy, what little good it did anyway. He couldn't keep his promise and my friend and her partner were killed, leaving her young son an orphan, 'The boy who lived' they called him."

He's talking about Harry! Lily Potter was the friend he lost?

"But despite her death, I was still bound to the headmaster, in my fear and desperation I'd sworn an unbreakable bond to him. Barely 20 years old and he took my life from me and didn't give it back until the day he died. At my own hand. It was of his design anyway, he was dying from a curse he'd fallen foul of and wanted me to kill him to save him the torment of a slow and painful death and to cement my position as a spy. Nobody else knew. I was ready to die, I was willing to die for the cause and I almost did...but we were supposed to win."

The pain on his face was so real, she felt the echo of it in her own chest. He must've been so alone. Nobody knew.

"The boy was supposed to live. I looked after him all those years, watched out for him and stacked the game in his favour, all he had to do was win. But he didn't. And instead I watched the boy, who in another life might've been my son...I watched him die. Horribly. And when they burned and defiled the corpses , I stole his. With the last of my strength I replaced it with a golem so nobody would be the wiser, gave him to the centaurs to bury properly and I left the school and I haven't been back since. I splinched ten bells of shit out of myself and collapsed on the street outside my home and had the old woman across the street not called for a muggle ambulance that would've been the end of me.

Suddenly his limp made sense. He'd been near death in the shack already but had managed to somehow save himself, then he'd splinched himself and ended up in a muggle hospital.

"The Dark Lord never knew of my treachery and when he realised I had in fact survived, in all his graciousness" the word was spat "he allows me to live out my life in peace, now I am of no further use to him anyway."

If she had the ability to cry she would've done. He never looked at her the entire time he was speaking, but she knew. From his body language, his scent, the patterns in his voice...she knew he was telling the truth.

"You owe me nothing, and I owe you everything. The day you turned up in my life, I was about to end it all. Then you saved me again from those thugs, and nearly died for me, when I'd done aught but show you trivial little kindnesses, despite it all... I think we could make each other perhaps not happy but...content? I do not know if happiness is something either of us could achieve, I believe we may be too damaged with the lots we have been dealt in life." Here his hand caressed the harsh lines of her cropped ears and he looked unfathomably sad. "I thought perhaps the fates brought you to me. I had always wanted a familiar but one was never forthcoming, no owl or cat or toad ever chose me and I had thought to myself perhaps I just had to wait because I needed a companion as broken as I was to truly be mine"

Her heart ached in her chest for the lonely man beside her.

"But we could make a go of it could we not? Us two broken things? We could try?"

Her eyes met his and for a moment she wished he understood, wished she could tell him who she was, that she knew him, she understood him and she forgave him all his perceived sins. That he wasn't alone, that someone knew he was a good man. Someone didn't hate him. Someone cared.

"What do you think?"

And then the thought turned bittersweet, as he stroked her head gently with no recognition in his eyes.

So she placed a paw on top of his hand and rested her chin on his arm.

Yes, they could try.

oOo

Her recovery was a slow one, her body was painful and stiff and she at once felt remorseful for the way she had scolded Crookshanks for not taking his medicine, because the stuff Snape had been given by the veterinarian was horrible and both tasted and smelled so strongly of chemicals, to her heightened senses they were particularly unpalatable. It had prompted Snape to many hours of reading his vast collection, trying to find herbs or a poultice that would not provide fatal to her canine body.

In fact, Snape turned out to be better company that she expected. He even amused her at times, he talked to her frequently but was awkward and his social skills were dreadful but she was thankful for the fact that he half believed her to be his familiar, for she was sure it was either that belief or his utter lack of experience with pets, that made him continue to talk to her as though she understood him. Which of course she did, he just didn't know that, but she wanted to encourage him in his beliefs because it was stimulating her mind and distracting her thoughts to finally be talked to like someone one and not something.

She was also glad that he continued feeding her human food, and she had been right in her prior assumption that it was part of his own meal he'd been sharing with her during her garden visits. He made his own small meals and would portion her a plate of whatever he was making. It was clear that he was not lying when he said he'd spent the majority of his money on her, for there was no longer the meat and cheese they had shared before, but the meals he made for them were typical 'struggle' meals, designed to be cheap and filling and nothing fancy, things like potato stew and corned beef hash. One thing they ate a lot of was toast , because loaves of bread were cheap from the muggle supermarkets and bread was filling so they often ate buttered toast for two meals a day. Something he would frequently apologise to her for. But she didn't understand why. The warm toast was delicious, especially as he did it properly over the fire and he always bought the proper butter too, he mustn't realise what an amazing thing he was doing for her, that he was feeding her better than she'd been fed in months, and keeping her warm, comfortable and sane while he did it.

To make his money he brewed and sold freelance potions, both to apothecaries, St. Mungos and private contracts. She had been ordered to stay out of his lab when he was in there working, and she had respected his wishes, though he had always kept the door open so they could 'talk' as he'd put it. His already slow movements had been slowed down even further by the beating he'd taken and she had wondered briefly why he was so bereft for cash, when he was a world class potions master, with a number of sound contracts and he surel had people chomping at the bit for his potions? Whether you were on the light side or the dark side, every body needed potions for something or other. A couple of weeks later, she got her answer when there was a crash from his lab and a explosion of profanities. Leaping to her feet, her guts twisted in turmoil and indecision, before she committed herself to action and bound herself into his lab to find the man sprawled on the floor, swearing profusely and cradling his injured wrist.

"Usually I would reprimand you for ignoring my orders, but in this case I shall overlook it given the circumstances" The words were wry and self depreciating as she came to stand beside him, from his position on the floor. She sniffed him quickly to ascertain if he was bleeding, he wasn't, and then she whined softly in her throat, it was the noise she used when she was asking him something and he sighed deeply before gesturing across the room. "Fetch me my wand will you?" Looking across the room she found his wand where it had rolled under the work table and returned it to him.

You should be more careful. She thought to herself, and he snorted for her thoughts must have been plainly written in the stern expression on her face.

"Yes, yes I know, don't lambast me woman" He pulled himself up from the ground with a grunt when he'd fixed his wrist, his leg and back stiff as he hoisted himself up with the aid of the stool beside him. It was clear he was struggling though, she often thought he should walk with a cane to save his leg and back the trouble but pride wouldn't allow him to. When he was halfway up it became obvious he was reaching the end of his reserves so with a put upon sigh, she used her considerable size to basically push him up from behind. All right there old man? she thought to herself with humour and he scowled at her actions over his shoulder., but then gave in and chuckled.

"Don't judge me, this war has aged me well past my years, and you're one to talk, is that some grey fur on your head?"

She sneezed indignantly and made an incredulous noise. Bastard. But he only chuckled.

When he was back in his seat, she quickly took note with interest what he was brewing, and she sat beside him with what she hoped was a questioning look on her face.

He sighed and finally gave her the answer to her unasked question.

"I have orders coming out of my ears, but I don't have the strength or the energy to fulfil them all. Mungo's are my priority, they don't pay the most but they buy the most, it is the contract with them that keeps food on the table as it is a guaranteed monthly income. Private contracts pay more, for rare or specific potions but I turn down more than I accept and I have a waiting list as long as my arm, but..." he gestured to his small store room that was annexed off from the main potions bench he was sat at. "Many ingredients are too volatile to be handled with magic, so cannot be summoned and they are much too volatile to be kept on the work bench so close to the cauldron, so I have to go retrieve them just as the potion calls for them... but herein lies the problem."

He rubbed his injured leg, from what she gathered the venom of Nagini's bite had caused some nerve damage on the left side of his body.

"I either cannot get the ingredients back to the potion bench quick enough before it spoils, or If I do I end up overexerting myself and then I am too tired to be able to finish more than one potion a day. If I had the strength I had before the war, I could triple my income by having three or more cauldrons on the go at once, covering Mungo's contract and taking the better paying orders too, but with my lack of mobility I'm lucky to manage one at a time." He shook his head incredulously at the potion in the cauldron in front of him and snorted self derisively."I was the foremost potion master in Europe, and now I'm going to ruin this single cauldron of bruise paste because I can't fetch a jar of fucking shrivelfigs in time. "

Without missing a beat she rose from the floor and trotted into the store room. Locating the jar of shrivelfigs she carefully grasped it in her mouth, making sure her teeth didn't break the seal and brought it back to him at the workstation.

He looked at her in silence for a moment, before cautiously taking the jar from her grasp, looking at her as though she had gifted him the moon. After a moment an ominous pop came from the cauldron and he jerked into action, quickly slicing and adding the shrivel figs.

Resealing the jar , he considered the item in his hand before holding it out to her cautiously.

"Can you return this to where you got it, and bring me murtlap essence...please?"

Carefully she took the jar from him, and did what he asked.

This time there was no hiding the emotion on his face, as he grasped the jar in his hand as though it was a lifeline.

"Thank You. It seems we really do belong together"

She grumbled, embarrassed, before barking at his cauldron.

Stop embarrassing me and lets get the work done , I miss the good cheese.

He chuckled and resumed what he was doing , though this time he conjured a comfortable seat for her to sit on beside him.

With Hermione's help, he did triple his income, more in fact and it soon became their new routine to spend most of the day brewing together.

In fact, with her help he was once more able to handle multiple cauldrons at once, quadrupling his productivity (and income) despite getting his brewing time cut down to a more reasonable 9 hours a day, leaving them more time to relax, drink tea and read.

He talked the entire time he brewed, to Hermione it felt as though she was almost a real apprentice, despite all she could do was fetch and carry, or occasionally bark to alert him to a brew about to boil over when he was handling multiple cauldrons. He said it kept his mind sharp, and allowed his creativity to flow, he acted as though she was a sounding board and he was bouncing ideas off her, when in reality he talked at her and got no reply, so in essence he was talking to himself...though at least sometimes saying it aloud had helped him to realise and idea that had been floating about within his grasp and he'd been unable to put his finger on it.

The first thing he had done when she began to assist him, was walk her through his potion stores and for that she was grateful. Though she recognised most of the ingredients offhand, her mind had atrophied somewhat so she was immensely relieved he was taking the time to learn her the ingredients (or re-learn her as was the actual case, that he remained blissfully unaware of). Not only that , but she also had to come to terms with the way her canine body altered the way she perceived things. Though she recognised that certain colours were not quite as strong as they once were, she couldn't say she'd ever really focused on how strongly flobberworm mucus smelled, but despite the fact as a human she could barely tell it apart from grindylow slime, as a dog the scent gave it away every time. In fact with many similar looking ingredients, Hermione's heightened sense of smell allowed her to tell them apart quicker than even Snape could visually differentiate them. Upon learning that, he went through every ingredient in his collection, allowing her to scent the jars to imprint the smell of the ingredients on her memory , which remained as eidetic as it had been when she was human.

It was on one such day that she came across an unlabelled jar, and as he was busy reorganising the shelves so that she was able to reach all the ingredients without risking damaging them, she took it upon herself to examine it.

What was this doing here? Is it ...Jam?

It was clear from the coating of dust that the jar had been there a long time, perhaps it was forgotten remnants of his grandmother's preserves, as he'd mentioned once when they were eating toast about his fondness for marmalade , had come from the pleasant memories associated with his grandmother and her habit of making and gifting her own jams and preserves, once stored in this cellar before it had been converted for a potions lab. It certainly looked and smelled like jam, sweet and fruity, lacking the label the potions ingredients had it looked quite a lot like blackcurrant but it smelled like gooseberries and she was just about to stick her nose in for another sniff when she suddenly yelped in pain at the feel on a harsh whack on her side, then found herself unceremoniously yanked backwards by the neck, that she hit the floor behind so hard, her bad leg gave way and she fell in a heap on the floor.

"What do you think you're playing at you stupid nosy little bitch, don't ever do that again!"

His face was a grimace of anger but she could care less about his expression as her whole world seemed to crumble at her feet.

He hit me.

He hit me.

He actually struck me, over some damn preserve?

She hadn't realised she was crying until she saw the look on his face crumple into dismay, canine instincts had allowed the pitiful cry out before she'd even realised it and her body slunk low to the ground in instinctual submission, he reached out to her but she flinched violently back from him and his face broke at her obvious fear.

"I'm -" she didn't give him the chance to finish, the second he took his hand back she had scrabbled to her feet and darted out of the room, leaving him alone in the larder.

The doors were locked, so she hid. Tucking herself under furniture and as far away from him as she could get. He came and knelt awkwardly on the floor, whispered apologies and tried to talk to her, but if he got too close she growled in warning. When her initial fear had given way and her heart beat returned to normal, she found herself furious. Furious at him, and furious at herself for allowing herself to be afraid of him. Allowing herself to wrap her righteous anger around herself like armour, she made her way out from her hiding place without hesitation, ignoring him attempting to scrabble to his feet , as she made her way to the door. He was speaking to her but she ignored him. She sat pointedly staring at the locked door , not acknowledging him and her message couldn't be clearer. It was over and she was leaving.

She glanced at him from the corner of her eyes and kept being confronted by his devastated visage, as he tried to get through to her , he reached out as if to touch her shoulder and she snapped at him in warning , before standing and barking at him angrily as she scratched the door hard enough to gouge it.

"Please, just let me -"

She snarled over him. She wouldn't allow him to speak, every time snarling or barking over him. He had crossed a line, and there was nothing he could say to change her mind.

Eventually he backed off , he didn't unlock the door though, he even added a ward so she couldn't force it open and she snarled at him anew , until he disappeared.

She didn't move though, continuing her angry protest as she stood waiting by the door. She wouldn't move until he opened it. She could outlast him, that was for sure.

There was muffled banging and swearing coming from upstairs and after an unknown length of time , he returned.

In one hand he held a doxy , no doubt caught in the motheaten attic and that was what all the banging had been about, in the other he held the jar.

She growled in warning when he tried to speak, he silenced but did not move, instead planting both the Doxy and the opened jar on the floor in her line of sight.

Freed of his grasp the doxy landed upon the jar and began to feast itself. After eating its fill , which equated to no more than a teaspoon for the dimminutive creature, it zipped into the air where it began to fly about angrily, and in typical doxy fashion throwing around any items it was strong enough to overturn. A minute later it fell out of the sky and landed at her feet...dead.

She flinched at the sudden sound it made as it impacted the floor , and she couldn't help but to indulge her canine senses and sniff it to see if it was truly dead as she thought... it was.

Finally she met his eyes, he looked haggard as though the stress of the past few hours had sapped him of what little strength he had.

"Atropa Belladonna. Diced nightshade berries. Quite potent and quite deadly. If you'd have ingested any, even a single taste, you would've been quite dead in minutes. Before I could've done anything about it. I didn't...I don't want you to die. I was frightened and I did the only thing I could to make you stop...quickly. I should never have struck you , I know that , but I was afraid. I can't lose you, don't you understand? Everything else...everyone else is lost and I can't lose you too, I wouldn't survive it"

Her eyes met his and the silence stretched between them for the longest time, until with a harsh sigh she left her post and made her way over to the sofa, settling herself in what had become her position, where they would sit and relax together, as he read aloud to her.

She watched his body sag as though a huge weight had been taken from his shoulders. then continued to observe him as he vanished the dead Doxy and placed the nightshade in a warded cabinet , well above her reach in the kitchen. She snorted at this , as if she would make that mistake again. She relaxed more as he began the familiar process of making tea. When he settled beside her with a cup for himself , and one poured into a bowl for her, she allowed herself to lean slightly into his side. He tensed for a moment then seemed to relax entirely back into the sofa , hand stroking the soft hair atop her head which felt more pleasant than she wanted to admit.#

"I am truly sorry, but I would do it again in a heartbeat"

She rested her head on his arm.

I forgive you

A few weeks later they were reading when Severus suddenly took interest in something in the muggle paper. She knew something had grabbed his interest because he'd paused reading aloud and began to frown in concentration.

She nudged him to get him back on track, and he apologised before speaking again.

"Apologies. Listen to this"

And he read out the headline as her heart stuttered in her chest.

Discovery of Two Dead Bodies leads to raid on Illegal Dogfighting Ring and Puppy mill.

The bodies of two men were found half buried in a ditch with wounds suggesting they were killed by dogs , CCTV footage led officers to an encampment that was followed by a month long stake out leading to the discovery of an Illegal Dog Fighting ring and Puppy mill. 10 people have been arrested with a further 20 receiving suspended sentences, the bodies of 10 dogs were found and 35 more including 10 puppies have been taken in by the RSPCA and will be searching for new homes.

She was silent though found herself moving closer to him on the sofa, she needed his solid presence beside her. They're caught, they caught them because of her, the others are rescued, they're safe...they're safe.

"Your doing?" He asked gently, gesturing to the title and she huffed in surprise as she looked at him.

"It doesn't take a genius to guess where those scars came from" he stroked her scarred flank as he spoke and she tensed. Would he judge her now? For what she'd done, what had been done to her.

"Don't fret." he practically whispered, "I do not blame you and I don't think any differently of you. Besides," he said jokingly "You had to be broken enough to find me remember?" and for the first time she planted a kiss on his cheek.

They had settled into a comfortable routine , so much so that a year seemed to fly by without them noticing.

She didn't know what she should feel stranger about, the fact that they now shared a room, or the fact that he called her Granger.

He had purchased a child sized bed which she slept on, though more often that not ended up in his.

It was a thought that should've made her blush , or mortified her younger self but it just...happened. She would often wake up screaming , memories from the war and the fights, her children...her Hugo. And he would find himself on the floor comforting her, until he eventually just told her to get into the bed because kneeling on the floor wasn't any good for his bad leg.

Likewise he had nightmares too, terrible ones where he'd be the one who'd wake up screaming. He'd fall back into bed and lay there with his arm covering his face as he tried to get his breath back, tremors still shaking his body. The first time it happened, it seemed totally natural to jump into his bed and lay her body against his chest, like a weighted blanket. Hugging him the best she could. He had started at first in shock, but then after a moment, he'd released a shuddering breath and held onto her. It's alright, I'm here, you're not alone. She let her steady breathing slow him back into sleep and remained by his side until morning.

He had 'named' her so to speak, when they were out doing their shopping. He'd taken to walking with a cane, at her insistence, which had been emphatically blocking the front door until he took it with him and it did make things easier for him, once he'd swallowed his pride. They were heading to the muggle supermarket for once , as their local shop they usually frequented was being re-fitted. She picked up the basket out of habit, as it was easier for her to carry it when he was walking with his cane and they were just about to walk in when they were stopped by a member of security.

"No dogs inside mate." She'd huffed indignantly, around a mouthful of the basket and she could tell from the look on Severus's face he was about to rip into the man when a staff member came over.

"Come off it Dave, that's no pet she's working mate, he's got a stick and look at her with that basket, you can see she's trained... she an assistance dog pal? "

Severus arched an eyebrow but she knew he wouldn't pass this opportunity to Slytherin his way out of it.

"She is here to assist me. "

Well it wasn't a lie

"Cracking. She one of those trained rescues then? I've heard about them, rehabing rescue dogs and training them for all sorts, what's her name?"

He stroked her head gently and she did her best not to scowl at him for getting in her personal space, seeing as he seemed to genuinely want to help. Severus seemed taken aback at the question though and it took him a moment to reply and when he did, it shocked her.

"Granger. Her name is Granger"

Hermione looked at him sharply, and the man looked at him none the wiser so Severus elaborated.

"I named her after a former student of mine, a real know it all, with how quickly she picks things up, it seemed fitting"

Hermione relaxed a bit, even if she was somewhat saddened and the man just smiled.

"Let them in then Dave mate?"

The security scowled but when Severus emphatically leaned on his cane, and Hermione held back a snort of humour , he decided it really wasn't worth risking a sanction for discrimination when she clearly was 'trained' and wasn't causing harm to anyone.

"She's got to have her collar on next time mate, it's the law"

"Apologies, it slipped my mind"

They were finally allowed in the store and she looked at him curiously.

"Sorry, about the name. I suppose it is something we should have discussed before now, It was the only thing that sprang to mind, and you are a bit of a know it all, you remind me of her sometimes"

She chuffed and he smiled softly. "We can think of something else, if it is not acceptable?" It was fine, even though it almost broke her heart as much as it thrilled her, so she simply leaned into his leg , to let him know she was ok with it.

"Come on then Granger, it's time for you to assist poor old me" and she couldn't help but chuff in humour once more.

He made her a collar when he was pulled up on the fact once more, and to continue to reap the benefits of the common belief she was in fact his service animal, he decided to play along. She had huffed at the idea of it , until he presented her with what he'd made. It was so fine and delicate, made of soft lambs leather that it sat around her neck more like a choker necklace than a collar. She wore it with pride. Especially when she noticed he'd made himself a matching wristband.

It had been a few years, perhaps two or three, when they stumbled upon something that made her heart almost beat out of her chest.

Luna.

Her Luna.

And not only her Luna , but one of her sons she'd named for Remus.

They were walking them in the park that she and Snape had taken to ambling through on a weekend after a visit to the local deli for coffee and fresh bread. They were grown up now, but she'd know them anywhere and she couldn't help it, she saw them and she ran.

Severus swore and took off after her as fast as he could with his injured leg, and the couple had shouted out in shock at the sight of her barrelling towards them, trying to rein in their own dogs until Luna and Remus had seen her. And started yelling out in returned excitement. She reached them and peppered both with kisses , and Luna who had never seen the rings and still boasted a full tail and both ears, couldn't stop wagging but it was Remus who was crying out in delight as she greeted them, Remus was scarred in the face like his namesake, and was also missing an eye, along with his tail and ears as she herself was, his scarred body proclaimed him a fighting dog, but the cheerful baby blue bandanna he wore proclaimed him a "rescue and proud"

Snape arrived, somewhat winded but no less composed.

"Apologies, she saw you and took off, she's not usually so excitable"

The family smiled at the stoic man, they stroked Hermione and she allowed it but she was more concerned with laving love and affection on her two children. "It's alright, we recognised her as soon as they did, we haven't seen her since we collected Honey, did you rescue her too? We hoped to see her at the kennels, we felt so bad that we'd fallen for the puppy mill scam so we went and rescued Dino as soon as we were able, we would have taken her though if we'd seen her, She's Honey's mum of course but I didn't realise she was Dino's too because he's 2 years younger, I'm so glad she's alright"

"Indeed" He said and Hermione almost wished she could cry with happiness at seeing her babies safe and mostly whole in front of her.

"I'm sorry if this is rude but I have to ask, would you ever consider letting her go? We just always had it in our head since we found out about the raid that we were going to rescue Honey's mum"

Hermione almost froze and she turned to consider Snape, they probably couldn't read the stoic man but she could and his look was pained. She knew the thoughts and self doubt that would be racing through his head. But she had already made her decision. With a final parting kiss to both dogs, she made her way back to Snape's side. Sitting beside him and leaning into his leg, she looked up and tried to convey as much emotion to him as she could.

She loved her children, she always would... but they were grown up now, they were her past and as odd as it may seem, Severus Snape was her future, she was sure of it.

He breathed out when she sat beside him and he smiled properly for the first time she could remember.

"I take no offence, but It looks like I am stuck with her. Us two broken things, it appears we work well together"

The family had smiled and after a moments idle chat had parted ways.

If she stayed closer to him than usual that night he said nothing, but she didn't think anything either when he held her tight while they read together.

More and more years passed by, and she didn't know who was sporting more grey hairs, her or him. The news came of the Dark Lord's death and the subsequent struggle to rebuild. All the fighters for the light had died years since , but even the dark side grew to become too much for even the sacred 28 to bare. The magical world was taking great pains to repair itself, though neither light nor dark they had decided on creating a fairer government rather than employing only the rather dictator-esque policy of a single minster for magic. Though Severus and Hermione gave it no mind. It held no semblance to them anymore, Severus used magic when needed and had never turned his back on his wizarding heritage, the got the daily prophet and occasionally ventured to an apothecary if it was necessary but they were not of the magical world. Not anymore. There was no place for broken things of the past, in a society trying to rebuild a future... and that suited them just fine, because there was nothing and no-one left for them there anyway.

Their work together over the years had made them a tidy amount of money, as Severus owned the house and the only luxuries they really splurged on were nice food and good books.

It was...nice... growing old together, as it was. But her own bad leg pained her more and more and Severus had to resort to wearing his glasses most of the time because he was getting headaches from squinting all the time when he tried to read without them.

The potions business was slowing down now anyway, neither had much energy for it any more and they certainly didn't need the money, though Severus kept himself on retainer for St. Mungo's and Hogwarts in case either needed a specialist brew, but for the most part they read and napped and enjoyed fresh bread and pastries at the local bakery.

Until one night came and she just couldn't bring herself to climb the stairs anymore. Severus had called to her and she had looked wistfully at the stairs, thoughts of their comfy bed and then settled herself on the sofa with a deep sigh.

He frowned for a moment before she yelped when she felt the sofa extending neatly out from under her. He'd transfigured it into a simple double bed.

And she couldn't help it if she felt warmed by the gesture even if he broke the silence by telling her to move over because she was hogging all the space. Settling himself beside her, she made her way over to his chest and layed over him as had become their norm. And as per usual he grumbled about the damned liberties she was taking with his person. It didn't stop him from wrapping his arms around her and holding her close when he thought she was asleep though.

The next day on their slow walk to the bakery, Severus suddenly stopped to look at a sign in the realtors office window and she almost plowed into the back of his legs, letting out a disgruntled grumble about his abrupt stop.

"What do you think of this ?" He asked , pointing to sign that was just within her sight range. It was a bungalow , in a village in the country just a few miles out of the city. Quiet enough to be peaceful , but close enough to be a bus ride away from the shops.

She looked at him with all the warmth she could muster and he smirked back. "Perhaps it is time to spend on something more than just the good cheese, no ?"

And she couldn't help chuffing in amusement as he made his way inside to make enquiries.

The bungalow was everything they had dreamed it would be. Severus had shrank and boxed all the magical artefacts and they'd hired a muggle moving company for the rest. They had just enough money in the nest egg to cash buy the bungalow outright, which they did quickly so as not to miss out, which meant that the money from the house at spinner's end was going to be their new nest egg once it cleared. Fortunately a company was buying up all the old houses on the estate to demolish and put up a block of high rise flats , which meant they got more than they were expecting to from the sale of the somewhat derelict building and were now just waiting for the cheque to clear.

It was a very traditional country village , which meant that nobody blinked an eye at Severus taking his dog everywhere. Even the local pub welcomed her, which meant they would occasionally stop in for a pint which was a novel experience. Though Hermione obviously never drank, they quite often shared bar snacks and on the odd occasion they'd come in for the sunday roast and the Pub Landlord was more than happy to put her down a plate , even if she was relegated to a disposable cardboard one.

They were friendly with their neighbours and it was nice to have a clean break from their old lives. Severus especially. Everyone in the magical world knew who he was, and he'd grown up in the house at Spinner's end where he'd always be seen as the poor strange boy that grew up there, who was beaten by his father and if rumour was to be believed , grew up to kill him. She didn't know if it was true and frankly she didn't care. If his father was enough of a monster that he would beat and abuse his own child , then as far as Hermione was concerned he wasn't worth mourning.

More years slipped by in the bungalow and they both revelled in the peace and routine of their life. Severus was different now, calmer and more at ease than she'd ever known him.

It had even made him approachable, and she had become unreasonably incensed when a woman had the gall to flirt with him in a cafe. It struck her by surprise though it bowled Severus over even more, though she expected him to rebuff her, he remained polite. Not realising she was growling until the woman looked at her askance, Hermione had to walk outside before she bit the simpering woman.

When Severus didn't immediately follow her, she was both hurt and angry. Angry with him, angry with the woman and angry with herself for being angry. Severus was still human, she had him to herself so long that she had come to think of him as her Severus and it pained her to think that though he was her whole world, he might long for some distinctly female company to share his bed, that wasn't dog shaped...and to do more than just cuddle with. This was his fresh start too , and he deserved the chance at happiness, so she did the only thing she could do... she left.

She'd started in the direction of home but had then turned away and headed in the opposite direction. He wouldn't want her underfoot , especially if he planned on bringing the woman home with him. So she walked aimlessly for hours, trying to plan her next move but drawing a blank. She couldn't stay in the village that was for sure, it would be too painful to see him. Though what direction to go in she didn't know. The heaven's had opened as though the weather itself was tied to her miserable mood and rain came thick and fast and chilled her to the bone. Her body shook and her leg ached with a vengeance as she found herself simply unable to walk any further, as she found some shelter under a hedgerow.

It was there she laid , unable to find the strength or the will to go any further , feeling as though her whole world had been taken away from her.

Darkness crept around her and still she did not move , even as it blanketed her surroundings. The only light coming from a streetlight further down the road as the rest of the world continued to turn without her.

Sleep beckoned, an overwhelming tiredness that seemed heavy on her frame and she closed her eyes , and hoped not to open them again.

The first thing she became aware of was a bright light , and she turned herself into it. Went willingly towards it, she was being lifted into the air and she relaxed as she felt the weightlessness of herself leave the ground. Warmth and comfort blanketed her , chasing away the chill that had crept into her bones and she could hear Severus's voice calling to her in the distance. Everything was good.

Until there was another voice, much closer than Severus's. A familiar male voice that finally made her open her eyes in confusion.

She wasn't dead. But she was wrapped in a blanket and being held by Joe , the butcher from the village, brandishing a torch that lit up the rain soaked street and it was him that was shouting.

"I've got her mate, it's definitely her!"

And then her senses were filled with Severus, her Severus. She was being passed into his arms , despite her size and she wondered briefly if he had cast a lightening spell to manage her size with his bad leg. He looked as haggard as he'd even been during the war.

"Don't ever do that to me again Granger" was choked out on a sob and she didn't know if she was more shocked that he was alone, the woman nowhere to be seen, or that he'd allowed himself to cry in front of their neighbours.

Joe gave his shoulder a squeeze and she felt them being bundled into the back of a car, and realised Joe must be driving them home. She vaguely noticed a few other people meandering away and thought to herself that Severus must have had half the village out looking for her. Severus was sat in the back seat with her, and had yet to let her go. When he spoke it was with a tone low enough for only her to hear.

"That blasted woman wouldn't let me go, I told her I wasn't interested and she still insisted on giving me her number before I left, when I came out you were gone and I've never been so frightened in my life. Not the war, not voldemort...never" He pressed his face into her neck and she breathed out a heavy sigh.

"I told her that I only have room for one female in my life, and that spot is already filled." She pressed her face into his neck and wished she could cry as he was.

"Don't ever do that to me again Granger. I shall not survive it" He kissed her head softly and she allowed herself to relax in the safety of his arms.

She was weary. Her bones creaked when she stood , and they found themselves venturing out less and less often as neither of them could manage the walk. She didn't know how long they had been in the bungalow now. Long enough for the seeds they had sown to become fully fledged plants that bore fruits and flowers. Long enough for there to be grooves worn into the carpets where their favourite comfortable chair was.

They went to bed early now, because Severus could no longer read in the evenings, even with the lamp light his eyes would strain until he pushed the book to the side with a frustrated growl , because he didn't have the strength to cast a strong enough lumos anymore.

It was one such evening that Severus was busy making their evening cup of tea and toast, and she started at the smash of his cup hitting the floor.

He was swearing, and moving his head side to side, but remained frozen in the spot. And she realised after a moment with a pang, he was barefoot and unable to see where the sharp shards had landed. He attempted a cleaning charm, but his strength sagged and there was still the tinkle of shards of porcelain on the tile.

Wearily she made her way over to him, until she stood by his side, the faded leather collar about her neck, just under his hand and he grasped it with a sigh.

"Right then. A job for morning. Shall we go to bed?"

Bed sounded perfect, as her bones protested and she carefully and slowly led him to their bedroom.

The next morning he sent a bunch of papers off via owl to Gringotts, she wasn't certain what they were but she could hazard a guess. He'd wrote them a couple of years ago when his vision had first started failing him.

Two more days passed and he could no longer read during the daylight either. Nagini's venom which had been slowly eating away at his nerves over the years, had almost entirely robbed him of his sight.

He went to lay on the bed and she followed, but found that her back and her legs protested her movement and when it came to reach the bed, she simply didn't have the energy. So she lay where she was, beside the bed unable to find the strength to make that last climb.

Without missing a beat, Severus carefully lifted her into their bed, apologising when she cried out in pain as the movement jostled her bad leg.

He disappeared for a moment, and she heard the kettle boil and the clink of kitchenwear.

When he limped his way back into the bedroom, it was with tea and their beloved toast.

They'd never eaten in bed before, both too neat to want to deal with the crumby aftermath, but this was a singular occasion it would seem.

They drank the tea and then he offered her a slice of toast, smothered with jam. It looked like blackcurrant, but smelled like goosberries.

Meeting his eyes, still as dark as coal, she saw the matching slice held in his own hand.

She took ate it , without hesitation and watched as he did the same, then a flick of his wand hand him laying back in exhaustion and she settled herself in his arms once more.

The flames danced in the kitchen, painting patterns of colour on the walls, and the wooden counter as it burned smelled just like the logs they used to warm the fires in the great hall in winter.

Severus tighten his arms around her, and she relaxed into his embrace and slept.

...

...

..

.

She was surrounded by books. The familiar sights and sounds of Diagon Alley in the background, it sounded as though she was surrounded by people but she was the only one stood in Flourish and Blotts... save one other.

Two if you wanted to be technical.

Severus stood a short distance from her, he was smiling and he looked younger than she could remember seeing him. Though he stood as upright and proud as she remembered him when she first started Hogwarts, lithe and elegant and not twisted and damaged by two wars and a giant snake.

There was a bundle in his arms that twisted with excitement and though not quite the same as she remembered him, the baby smiled and laughed when he saw her and she would know her Hugo anywhere.

She wanted to tear into his arms, but he'd let to do anything but smile and so she held herself back, unsure of her welcome.

"Hello" She said shly and he chuckled back.

"We're a bit past Hello aren't we Granger?" He joked and she met his eyes, seeing the familiar warmth she had come to know.

"You knew? " She whispered as she approached him, and took the bundle from his arms, breathing in his scent and pressing her head to his causing the boy to giggle happily.

"I knew." He confirmed and pulled her into his arms, pressing a kiss into her riotous curls.

"When I recognised you, I knew immediately what spell she'd used. There was no cure for it. I wanted to keep you safe, as much as I could, but I left it for you to decide whether you wanted me to know it was you. I didn't know if it would be easier or harder for you to live your life that way, knowing that I knew who you were. It wasn't for me to decide , so I left the choice to you, I knew the smartest witch of the age would find a way to tell me who she was if she wanted to"

"Since when?" She asked, leaning into his chest and delighting in his embrace as he wrapped his arms fully around her. "How long did you know?"

"Always"

She smiled and kissed him on the lips for the first time and Hugo giggled happily between them.

"Time to go love, the train's coming"

Do we have a few more minutes to read? There are so many books here we haven't read.

Her hands stroked the covers lovingly and he smiled, capturing her hand in his and kissing it gently.

"There's all these and more in the Hogwarts library, you know that." He said with a chuckle as they made their way out of the alley and towards the platform that she couldn't quite remember being so close to the book store before.

"And we'll have time to read together for a while?" She asked with a smile and he answered her with his own.

"All the time in the world"