Sorry for the delay, I struggled a bit with this one. Thank you for your continued reviews, follows and favourites.

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Chapter 11

Severus Snape didn't quite know what to do or think on the day that should have been his sixtieth birthday. He'd spent the morning in the potions lab that he'd built with Lucius' permission in the basement of the cottage, and was working on a potion to help with Astoria Malfoy's morning sickness, as the ones he'd given her to date hadn't helped.

It was odd to think he should have been sixty years old, and yet here he was still in his thirties. Yes, Lucius was sixty-six and had somehow managed to start dating a witch ten years younger than Hermione, but then the man was as vain as the peacocks that lived in the grounds of the Manor, so had been using beautifying potions since his early twenties to slow down the ageing process.

After a small lunch he'd spent the afternoon in his library, which he'd been growing in the five months or so that he'd been living there. He was proud of the library he was building, which also included all the books he had from his days as a Hogwarts Professor, and spent most of his spare time in there when he wasn't brewing.

Since the evening with Hermione when he shared a truly delicious curry that she'd made him, he'd spent three of the last five nights with her, at both his home and hers.

Hermione hadn't mentioned his birthday, for which he was glad. He'd been rude to her just before her fortieth - an event which has its own eight page spread in the Daily Prophet - so he didn't want her to feel burdened.

His peace and quiet, however, was ruined around seven in the evening when he felt the wards to the cottage indicate visitors.

On opening the door, he was greeted with a smirking Lucius Malfoy and Anya Ollivander.

"Think you could hide from this?" Malfoy asked, barging his way past Severus and heading into the main living room of the cottage.

"If I wanted to hide, Lucius, you wouldn't have found me," he pointed out, following them into the room. Lucius was already opening the bottle of champagne he'd brought with him and poured three glasses, thrusting a glass into Severus' hands.

"Happy Sixtieth Birthday, Snape," he said with a grin. Anya leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek wishing him a happy birthday.

"I'm not sixty," he pointed out. "Hell, considering on top of the twenty one years I missed, I also skipped and additional eighty four days between the battle and my reemergence, I'm not even sure it is my birthday today. I'm guessing that'll be somewhere in early April."

Still, he drank Lucius' expensive champagne and invited the two of them to take a seat.

"The elves will be here in half an hour with dinner for the three of us." Lucius told him in no uncertain fashion. "I invited Draco and Astoria, but she's been suffering from morning sickness still, and she's not feeling up to leaving home. They both send their apologies and birthday wishes."

Severus nodded to Lucius. "I have been working on an improved potion for her, which will hopefully help."

Lucius didn't respond, but gave a conspiratorial glance at his fiancée. Severus narrowed his eyes at the pair of them.

"What?"

"I have a sixtieth birthday present for you…"

"I'm not sixty."

"Here you go."

Lucius slipped his hands inside his robes and pulled out a scroll, holding it out to Severus. He took it hesitantly, resisting the temptation to check it for spells or dark magic, and unrolled the document. He read the contents and held it out for Lucius to take back, which he didn't do.

"I can't accept that."

"You can and you will. The transfer has already been made."

"You can't give me a house!"

"I thought you liked it here?"

"I do."

"So what is the problem? I am giving it to you."

"I could at least buy it from you."

"No you couldn't. The stipend was good, but not that good. Unless you've doubled it in the last six months, that is."

Severus sighed. He didn't have the money to be able to buy the cottage from Lucius. But he did want to stay here. It was the first place which had truly felt like home. Even Hogwarts hadn't felt this much like home and he'd lived there for around twenty-five years.

He was about to try a different avenue of argument, as he genuinely felt that giving him a house was too much, even considering all the two men had been through together, when there was another twang of the wards and a knock at the door. Considering Draco and Astoria weren't coming, there was therefore only one other person it could be.

Lucius raised an eyebrow at him as he got up to answer. "Behave," he told his old friend. The smirk on Lucius' face told him he'd do anything but.

On opening the door she stood there smiling at him, but he could see a slight uncertainty in her eyes.

"Happy Birthday, Severus," she told him, moving to stand up close to him and leaning up to place a chaste kiss on his lips.

"Thank you. At least you didn't say I was sixty."

Her eyebrows pinched together. "Lucius Malfoy is here?" She'd guessed correctly.

"Yes, but I'd still like you to come in."

She agreed and he took her coat and placed it on the rack by the door. She was wearing a well fitting long-sleeved woollen dress which was a dark blue in colour and really suited her, and muggle knee high brown leather boots. She looked beautiful. He led her into the sitting room where Lucius and Anya were waiting. He was somewhat surprised when Lucius handed Hermione a glass of the champagne he'd brought with him.

"It's nice to see you again, Minister," he told her, and almost looked like he meant it.

"Please, it's Hermione," she told him. "And nice to see you both again too." Hermione's voice sounded a little more strained than Lucius' had. Clearly she hadn't expected Severus to have company.

She sat down in one of the comfortable armchairs sipping her champagne and looking a little uncomfortable. Lucius called his house elf and told them to prepare the food for four people rather than the original three.

"I wasn't expecting to be fed, Mr Malfoy, I…"

He cut her off with a wave of his hand. "You wish to spend time with Severus as well, so it is no inconvenience."

She smiled her thanks to him, and her eyes drifted back to Severus. "I have a gift for you."

"As long as it's not a house," he muttered to himself. He saw Hermione give him a questioning gaze. "Lucius has gifted me this cottage as a birthday present," he told her. She looked suitably shocked.

"Wow."

"Sixtieth birthday present," Malfoy added, and Severus sent a non-verbal stinging hex his way which hit him on the left shoulder and caused a few curse words unbefitting of a man in his position. Anya just rolled her eyes.

Hermione got up and sat down next to him on the plush sofa, reaching into the small bag which obviously contained some kind of extending charm since her arm reached into the bag up to the elbow. She gave him a small smile and handed him a parcel which looked very obviously like it was a book.

"I know giving you a book is a risk as I'm sure you have access to, or have read a huge amount of them, but I'm hoping that you haven't read this one."

He was intrigued. He carefully unwrapped the twine which was around the parcel and undid the thick silver parchment paper she had wrapped it in. When he turned the book over to read it's title, he gasped.

"I cannot accept this, it's too much."

"I've heard that one before," Malfoy sniped. Severus ignored him.

"I want you to have it." She placed her hand over his holding the book.

"I can't…"

"Would you believe me if I told you I had two copies?"

"No, I wouldn't."

She shrugged. "Well its actually the truth. I've been searching for that book for years and years. And finally last summer I tracked down a copy and thought I'd treat myself. I don't often buy rare books, but I'd always wanted to read that one. However things got quite busy last summer," she gave him a pointed look, "so I didn't actually get chance to read it. And then Harry gave me another copy for my birthday and I didn't have the heart to tell him I already had a copy."

"So you're handing me off Potter's seconds?" He gave her a smile to indicate that he was joking with her.

"No, this is the one I bought. I really would like you to have it. I'd like to know it will go to someone who will actually use it."

The book was on the magical and potion uses of rare Oriental orchids, and was a book that he'd been looking for for years. Almost in every rare book shop he'd visited he'd looked to see if they had a copy. He'd even found one once, but the book was in a truly horrendous condition and was missing about half its pages. Considering the amount the seller wanted for the book there was no chance he was going to buy it.

"Thank you, Hermione."

He placed the book on the coffee table and took her hands in his, leaning in to place a kiss on her lips, and trying to ignore the other occupants of the room.

"Things are going well then?" Malfoy asked once they'd broken apart. Both of them ignored him, but Hermione had a faint pinkness to her cheeks and she looked a little uncomfortable. He ran his thumb over her cheek, their eyes still locked.

"Seeing a lot of each other, I take it?" Lucius continued. Severus turned to send a glare his way, but didn't say anything. He noticed Anya placing a hand on Malfoy's arm and the wizard rolled his eyes. "Fine. I won't ask. Although for the record the two of you look good together."

He wasn't quite sure why Malfoy was being so pleasant, particularly as he'd previously made it clear that he didn't like Hermione, but he didn't doubt that the wizard had some kind of ulterior motive which was suiting himself. He was the archetypical Slytherin, after all.

The three of them made idle conversation until the elves announced that dinner was ready. The elves had done a great job in setting up the dining room for them, although on Lucius' orders they had decorated the room with banners wishing Severus a Happy 60th Birthday, which had trails of sparks coming from them. He sent another stinging hex the way of Malfoy, who was waiting for it this time and defended himself easily.

The food was every bit as good as it always was, but the elves had outdone themselves with luxurious and rare ingredients, including a main of lobster, which was one of Severus' current favourites.

"I take it Minerva knows you're here and there was no problem leaving the castle?" Hermione asked Anya as she was tucking into the lobster.

"Yes, not a problem at all," she answered Hermione, before turning her attention to him. "She sends her love, Severus. She said you were due to see her this weekend at Hogwarts anyway, so she said she'll pass on her sixtieth birthday wishes then. She said she'd ask the Hogwarts elves to bake you a cake with sixty candles but was worried it would be a fire hazard."

The woman had clearly spent too much time with Malfoy.

"And you are able to leave the castle without risk of catastrophe?" He asked her. "I know that I wouldn't have dared do that in my day with the delinquents I had to teach." He felt a jab in his ribs from Hermione, but he didn't turn to look at her.

Anya shrugged. "My Slytherins have been suitably threatened with no quidditch if they so much as put a foot out of line. They're looking good this year, so the threat is real."

"Still, you have both a Malfoy and a Potter in your ranks. I remember the horror of those days only too well…" He gave Hermione a smile, and she rolled her eyes. "I certainly wouldn't have risked leaving the castle of an evening."

"I believe it's very different now. And Potter and Malfoy are good kids. They don't cause too much trouble and for the most part keep to themselves a lot, although the threat of losing quidditch doesn't worry them in the same way as the others. Neither one of them have much interest,"

"Which is ridiculous considering their fathers were quidditch mad," Hermione stated with a laugh. "I distinctly remember the battles Harry and Draco had as team seekers."

With the wine flowing, conversation was made easily between the four of them, with Lucius and Hermione managing to converse without too much sarcasm or snark on Lucius' part, although Hermione certainly gave as good as she got from him, and it was clear that although she was wary of the man she didn't fear him.

"Have you set a date for the ceremony?" Hermione asked Anya and Lucius after they'd settled back into the sitting room with their drinks after a delicious meal. Hermione had curled up into his side having taken her boots off, and he had to admit to feeling very content at having her by his side. It just felt right.

"The twenty-third of December," Malfoy told her, "during the Yule break from Hogwarts. It gives Astoria and Draco some time after the baby's born in June. You'll have to come, Miss Granger. Severus will be standing with me, after all."

That was news to Severus. "I am?"

"Yes."

"You're not asking Draco?"

"I am asking the two of you. Draco has already agreed."

It was quite the honour to be asked to stand with Lucius for his hand-fasting ceremony and bonding with Anya, although in fairness, he hadn't been asked. But then that was Lucius.

"You'll come as well, Hermione? With Severus?" Anya asked her reiterating Lucius' statement.

Hermione smiled at the other woman and nodded her head. "Yes, I'd like that, thank you. If you don't mind me asking, are you continuing to work after the two of you marry?"

That was a brave question to ask on Hermione's part, and Severus suspected that she maybe didn't realise quite how contentious the question was. Anya was to become, after all, the new Lady of the Manor, although Severus didn't know how things were affected considering Astoria's position in being Draco's wife. Lucius had been a widower for nineteen years and Astoria had taken on the role of Lady of the Manor prior to her illness. He wasn't clear on that particular area of pureblood custom.

He'd expected Lucius to have a problem with Hermione even asking that question, but he seemed relaxed and held his fiancée's hand as she answered.

"That's the plan, yes. Minerva agreed to a fixed floo link between my quarters at Hogwarts and the Manor which we have just put in place. Lucius will be spending some evenings at Hogwarts with me, and I will be able to spend the odd weekends and holidays here at the Manor. I have a potions apprentice I'm training, and he's going to be keeping an eye of the Slytherins as Deputy Head of House."

Severus was surprised at that. He knew Anya was an excellent Potions Mistress, but he hadn't known she had an apprentice. It was something he'd been considering himself, but he wasn't sure that there were many students he'd be able to tolerate. He also didn't think Minerva would allow Lucius at the school so often, but he imagined that she'd have had to if she wanted to keep Anya in her role.

And that Lucius was wiling to have a wife who worked? Clearly times had changed more than he realised. Maybe his old friend was finally relaxing in his old age.

After a further hour or so of conversation, Anya announced that she'd better get back to Hogwarts to make sure it was still in one piece, and the two of them finally left leaving him alone with Hermione.

"I thought they'd never leave," he muttered into her lips, pulling her onto his lap.

"I know. And who'd have thought I'd have voluntarily spent an evening in the company of Lucius Malfoy," she said with a smirk.

"I'm sure you'd have preferred the evening without him," he told her.

"Most definitely. For a start I'd hope that we'd both be naked by now. It's not every day one's boyfriend is sixty!"

He attacked her with his fingers on her ticklish sides, causing her to squeal and try to escape him. Instead of allowing it he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him.

"I'm not sixty, I'll have you know. In fact, I'm younger than you are." He placed a kiss on her nose. "And thank you for coming here. I don't even know how you knew it was my birthday."

She smiled. "You obviously don't know about the several books which were written about you."

"Oh, Merlin. I'm glad I've avoided those."

"They're amazingly in depth," she told him teasingly. "Of course they're probably ninety-nine percent made up, but they do mostly got your date of birth correct."

"How wonderful. I'll be sure to get a copies to add to the library." He shook his head to himself. "But thank you again for the book, its amazingly thoughtful, and I dread to think what it cost you."

"It makes me happy to give it to you, and I hope that it's something you did want."

"I did. I've been looking for that book since I first heard about it when I was at Hogwarts myself. You know even Lucius doesn't have a copy."

That made her smile. "You'll have to hide it from him."

"I probably should do. But do you mind if I allow him to read it? I know he'd like to. And I'm sure Anya would be just as keen."

"No, that's fine. I do realise that any relationship with you will include him in some way as your friend. As any relationship with me with include Harry and Ron."

He actually felt that he was getting the tougher end of that deal considering he'd taught the two of them in their juvenile delinquent days.

"I know."

He stood up taking her with him and kissed her, running his hands through her mane of curls. "How do you feel about having that naked time now? I'm feeling that I'd like another birthday present."

She grinned at him. "I'm sure I can oblige."

.

"And what of the Minister's relationship with Severus Snape?"

Hermione looked up from the papers in front of her at Thaddius Rhodes' comments. The wizard had taken over as Head of the Wizengamot only a few months previous, having previously been Deputy for as long as she could remember.

"I'm sorry?" She asked him. His tone was certainly not respectful considering her position as Minister for Magic.

She was in one of their monthly Ministry meetings where all heads of department and those representing the Wizengamot talked through any key points or problems that needed raising. This was the fifth meeting of the year at the end of May, and they'd called for any other business.

Since Severus' birthday in early January, Hermione had spent a few nights per week at his house, and he'd spent a few nights per week at hers. They'd settled into an easy routine, and both enjoyed the time they spent together, even if it was sometimes just sat in his library or her living room in silence while they both read or worked.

She'd even invited her friends over a few times while he was there. It was certainly awkward at first considering he'd taught most of them before when they were teenagers, and now he was their peer rather than being twenty years older and in a position of authority. Things were particularly difficult with Ron, but he did eventually accept that it was Hermione's choice to date Severus, although the two men never went out of their way to talk to each other.

As she'd expected, after the events of New Years' Eve, Ron had run straight to his mum's house and told her what had happened. Molly however, although surprised, was supportive of her and Severus' relationship. She'd pointed out to Ron that the two of them had a lot in common, and that she only wanted to see Hermione happy. She had therefore promptly told Ron to be quiet and not make a fuss over it.

Although that didn't stop all her friends from finding out what had happened that morning, and she'd certainly had some light hearted (and envious) ribbing from her friends. Although not one of the them were brave enough to say anything to Severus, something he'd found very funny.

"The Minister is in a romantic relationship with former Death Eater, Severus Snape," Rhodes announced to the table in a loud and confident voice.

"Are you sure?" Asked Alethea Robbins, Head of the Department of Mysteries, and a witch Hermione was on reasonably friendly terms with. She hadn't, however, shared her relationship status with the witch.

"Oh I am certain," continued Rhodes with a spiteful smile on his face. All eyes were on him and the room was deathly silent. "You see, my wife is muggleborn and we were visiting her muggle family in Bath. And who do we see acting as if there wasn't a care in the world? The Minister herself and Snape."

Hermione knew exactly which day he was talking about. Although her and Severus avoided the wizarding world for this exact reason, they had been on a few dates in the muggle world. On that occasion a few weekends ago they'd been to a fabulous cocktail bar and had wonderful Thai food before retreating to their hotel Spa Hotel.

"Something I can only imagine the Head of Magical Law Enforcement is well aware of," he continued.

"I am unclear, Rhodes, what exactly your point is here," Harry stated, a definite dangerous tone to his voice. She knew that he'd always have her back, but they did have to be careful when it came to Ministry business. She was his boss, after all, so they had to keep a respectful distance when it came to work matters.

"Are you not listening to me, Potter? You might well be okay with cavorting with Death Eaters, I mean you're only the Head of Magical Law Enforcement, but some of us might not be happy about the fact our Minister for Magic is sleeping with the murderer of Albus Dumbledore."

With that all hell broke loose in the room, with several people shouting their opinions on top of the others, Harry and Thaddius Rhodes being the most vocal within the room.

Hermione took a deep breath and whispered a sonoros to amplify her voice. "Enough!"

When she had the attention of the room she cancelled the spell.

"This is not the environment for this discussion. And my personal life should not be the concern of anyone who is not directly involved in my relationship. Yes, I have been in a relationship with Severus Snape since the start of the year, but it is just that. A private relationship with a wizard who was cleared of any charges, and was, in fact, instrumental in the war against Voldemort.

"I will listen to any concerns any of you have, and I will address those concerns individually. However it will not be discussed in this forum. Do I make myself clear?"

She met the eyes of all of the of the witches and wizards within the room, her eyes settling last on Thaddius Rhodes, who narrowed his eyes at her but eventually nodded.

"Now, is there is any other business?"

No one else spoke up, and with that she concluded the meeting, leaving the room ahead of the others as she always did and headed back to her office.

"Not now, Harry," she told him as soon as he entered her office a few moments later. "I don't want to talk about it."

He held his hands up in mock surrender. "Okay, that's fine. But I'm here if you need to talk, okay. And you know I have your back in this."

She sank down on one of the sofas and placed a cushion over her face. "I know," she mumbled into the cushion. "And thank you." She threw the cushion onto the other sofa. "I was hoping this wouldn't happen, but I guess I knew it was going to sooner rather than later."

"It'll be okay, Hermione. It'll work out"

She hoped to Merlin that he was correct.

…

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