~ Chapter One ~
Four Months Later:
"My only question is, how?"
Severus craned his neck back and stared up at Hermione as she dangled upside down with a rope wrapped around her ankle. They were deep within the forest near Dosrose Village on an animal scavenger hunt; Hermione had easily persuaded him to join her. And now, here she was, caught in an animal trap.
"I saw the blue rabbit," she poked out her bottom lip like a child, and her face started to go red from being upside down. "Can you help me?"
"No, I rather enjoy you like this."
"Severus!" she squealed. "I left my wand back at the inn."
They'd only separated for a few minutes, but it seemed that she couldn't be left unsupervised without running off to discover new things like a child. He mused over the thought of letting her down and raised a raven brow.
"Come on, please Severus, I promise I won't run off again."
"You're a grown woman."
She grinned wickedly. "I've been waiting for you to notice." Her words caused his wand to fly in the direction of the rope, and she landed on the ground with a thud.
It seemed that now they were free from all obligations from the real world, the dysfunctional pair enjoyed teasing one another relentlessly. I've never known myself to be so childish — not even during my miserable childhood.
There was just something about her that made him feel at ease; it didn't matter that they used to be teacher and student, she had such an effect on him that none of it mattered. I'd hate for anyone I know to see me now.
Severus didn't know whether it was plausible, but it may even be possible that she was flirting with him. The idea shocked him and caused the tightness to return to his chest. I don't think anyone has ever flirted with me before and meant it. He didn't understand why, but he also didn't hate it either.
Hermione got to her feet and wiped the leaves from her clothes. Her hair fell in a wild mess down her back, and she blew a few strands away from her face then grinned at him.
"That was very rude, sir."
That was a new thing she was trying out. Whenever he did something out of his normal character, she remarked him with her man-bending smile and called him "sir."
"We should head back and get ready to leave for tomorrow," he said while he walked away from her. She easily caught up to him and happily strolled by his side radiating innocence and purity — which are pretty much the same, so she just glowed with something Severus usually hated seeing on people. Not her though.
They had plans to head back onto the open road tomorrow after spending a few days in Dosrose Village. Severus had to admit that Leona was correct about the place. They were welcomed with open arms, and the nightlife held a calming aura that allowed them both to relax while a Celtic tune played from a lute.
"I'm looking forward to seeing Sunny Valley," she mused. "I hope it's as good as Frederick says it is."
Frederick was the owner of the inn they were staying at. Since Hermione was a lot more talkative than him, she managed to make instant friends with the six-hundred-year-old man, and discovered that Sunny Valley was the best place to visit.
I can guarantee I won't like it. Severus' gloomy attitude still existed inside of him, and he wasn't expecting miracles; however, it was now a feature of him rather than a flaw. Hermione didn't mind his negative response to things because she matched it with her upbeat personality, and humoured his words most of the time.
"That man would tell you a volcano was the place to be if it got you to flirt with him," he grumbled and she gasped.
"I certainly do not flirt with him!" she exclaimed. "I'm just being friendly."
"You can admit you like your men ancient, Miss Granger."
She scoffed in response, then playfully nudged him. "You sound jealous-"
"Stop it woman!" he shook her off as they broke free from the trees, and made their way into the square of the village.
"Perhaps I should tell Louisa that you'd like to take her out on a date?"
He whirled around to point his finger at her. "You will do no such thing!" Louisa was an insufferable woman who wouldn't give up on touching and talking to him. He'd narrowly escaped her this morning when she tried to tag along on their outing. He was glad that Hermione came to his rescue, lightly touching his arm and dragging him away from her vice grip.
"Lovers quarrel?" They both turned to look at Frederick, who was wiping down one of the wooden tables outside the inn.
Colour flooded Hermione's cheeks and she sheepishly shook her head, but Severus rolled his eyes then curled his lip at her.
"I'm sorry I asked," Frederick chuckled, and they headed inside quickening their pace when Louisa's voice could be heard from the kitchen.
They had adjoining rooms, which clearly meant nothing to Hermione since she fell asleep sprawled out on his bed last night. He had to sleep in her bed. It smelled like her...I hated every second of it.
It didn't escape his notice how comfortable he was becoming around her; he felt like he was living the life he should've as a child, and Severus found himself unable to wiggle his way out of their normal routine together. I've tried to say cruel things to her as a way to test if she was truly OK with being around me, but she never breaks and continues to beam at me every day.
I'm surprised her chatter doesn't annoy me during our long days of travelling. They took turns holding the reins and map; sometimes they'd talk and sometimes they'd sit in companionable silence, and Severus could safely say that he enjoyed it.
Hermione walked into his room behind him and opened the door that led to hers. She slid over a crate to keep the door open then got to work on packing up her things. Severus had wondered about working for a bit so he could save up to buy someplace to call home. Even though he didn't know how long Hermione was staying with him, she still collected a lot of stuff on their travels.
All of her bags are weighed down by books, and she gets them out when they travel so she can read to him. During those times, he would find himself feeling uncomfortable around her because her voice lowered in a sultry way, and he hated that it got a reaction from him.
She's my ex-student...who will never age...but she's still somebody I watched grow up!
Severus picked up his bag and started to force his belongings inside. The loud rustling almost blocked out her whisper coming from the other room.
"Are you OK with me being with you?" he'd never heard her sound so timid, and her words sent shivers down his spine.
"I would've said if I no longer want you around," his baritone response didn't ease her worry. He inclined his head to the right and saw her leaning against the door frame.
"I know," she said. "There's just a voice of doubt in my mind...you deserve a chance to be free from everything that brought you here. That includes me since I was at Hogwarts."
He paused with a white shirt in his hand. "Miss Granger you don't hold any bad memories in my mind about Hogwarts. Even though you set my robes on fire at a Quidditch game."
"I'm being serious," she sighed. "I can go somewhere on my own."
"It sounds like you want that," he said defensively. "You can go ahead and do what you like-"
"You'll tell me if I ever get too much?"
"Of course."
"Good," she shook off her sombre attitude and returned to pack up her things. "I asked Frederick where the nearest Seeking Souls is and he says it's in Termos Kingdom, do you want to see if your mother has appeared?"
Severus had told her about her mother a week into their journey. She didn't push for any more information about his home life as a child, and it made him smile that she could sense when not to push for answers.
"I suppose we can," he muttered. "I really don't think I'll find her."
"Have some faith, Severus, we'll find her."
We.
Severus liked the sound of that.
"Oh, Severus!" Louisa's deep voice travelled down the hall as she approached his bedroom door. He raced over and locked the door then readied his wand in case she tried to break in. Hermione arrived at his side with a smirk.
"I think she loves you," she whispered.
"Do shut up," he grumbled back as the knock sounded against the wood.
"Severus are you there?"
"We're a bit busy, Louisa!" Hermione shouted back and Severus narrowed his eyes at her.
"Busy?"
"Yes, Severus pulled a muscle so he's naked right now and waiting for me to massage him!"
The door handle rattled hard and colour pinched at Severus' cheeks. "Granger, I swear to Merlin I will-"
"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed. "You're sure missing a delightful sight Louisa — what a shame, he's putting his clothes back on now! We'll speak to you later."
Louisa's footsteps faded away along with her growls of protest. Hermione grinned up at him and his wand hand twitched to hex her.
"If you would stop embarrassing me that would be great!"
"So you do like Louisa?"
"Definitely not! That woman is almost as insufferable as you!" he returned to his bag and Hermione walked away laughing in an airy kind of way.
Every time she laughed like that something tightened in Severus' chest. He wondered if it was his body telling him that he was ready to find somebody — his sexual endeavours had been limited and degrading back in the real world. He'd never left one of them feeling satisfied or happy.
Does that mean he wants to be with Hermione? Severus paused and stared at the open door. The vice grip around his heart tightened. She moved to the dresser near the doorway and looked his way with a smile.
"Are you OK?" she asked.
He cleared his throat. "I'm fine, woman."
"Whatever you say, sweetie pie."
Severus went about his business muttering to himself about how insufferable she was. Of course I'm not attracted to her, also, there's no attractive quality about me for her to even look at me that way.
…
The horse pulled the cart at a steady tempo, rocking occasionally over small stones. Hermione sat quietly by his side and moved her wand over the map. They had decided to head West and see what they stumble across, but as Severus had come to learn, Hermione needed a plan for everything. Sunny Valley will take a long time to get to.
A scratch marred the back of her hand, and Severus recalled the catty way Louisa had acted towards her this morning. They'd managed to make it to the cart without being seen, but the stupid woman raced out from the kitchen and started fawning all over him. Hermione told her to back off and pulled her hand off him receiving a sharp claw to her hand.
He watched as it started to fade away until her pale flesh was clear once more.
Perhaps she does like me, a voice whispered in the back of his mind. Severus flinched away from the thought and savoured a glance her way. The sun rested high in the midday sky and Severus was finally grateful for the colour beginning to show on his body. He wasn't as pale as before, but he was still pale compared to the tanned standard.
"Would you stop fussing over it?" he grumbled and she tutted in response.
"We can't just wander off without a plan!" she exclaimed. "You may be fine with going all willy-nilly but I'm not."
"Willy-nilly?" he chuckled. "Leave it be, Granger."
"I'll do as you say, sir," she gave him a mock salute and continued to scan the map. "Do you think we should get our apparating licenses?"
"I don't think we have a need for them right now," he said. "It seems pointless."
"But what if we need to head back to the capital quickly?"
She has a valid point. They couldn't just do it as and when they pleased anymore. The magic in the air prevented them from doing so — for our safety — and getting a license means the scholars will alter the magic to allow the obtainer to apparate.
"You might want to go and see Dumbledore-"
"I've told you already that I don't wish to see the man!"
She had the cheek to roll her eyes. "You say that, but all I can hear is, 'I want to go and see him.'"
"Has anyone told you how— "
"Insufferable?"
"—delusional you are!"
Hermione smiled back at him like he'd told her she meant the world to him. They bicker as if they've been married for years. Severus' jaw clenched and he focused on the scenery ahead.
"There's a city called Ravos about a days drive away from here," she explained. "Maybe we can settle there and see if we can find a quick route to Termos."
"We don't have to go there-"
"Why shouldn't we do something that you want to do?" she retorted. "We're partners, which means we need to balance things out. We seem to always do what I want, so for once, we're doing something that you've been wishing to do for a long time."
"It might be wasted time," he muttered and glanced away from her. I can't look her in the eyes without seeing her sympathy.
"And if it is, we'll check at the next Kingdom we travel through," she tapped the map for emphasis. A few minutes of silence passed until his mind focused on something she'd said.
"Partners?"
"Well, what exactly did you think we are?" she smirked back at him. "I'm happy to be your partner and friend."
They were yet to use that word. It hadn't meant much to him back in reality, but hearing her call him a friend meant the world to him.
He cleared his throat. "So, Ravos?"
"Yes, is that OK with you?"
"That's fine with me."
"Good! That means we have to camp tonight and then we will get there around midday tomorrow."
"Bloody great."
He hated camping with a passion. Hermione always woke up chirping with the birds, and within moments, she would be avoiding a hex he'd thrown her way. He wasn't a morning person.
They journeyed into the night and by the time they found a spot in the woods, Hermione was asleep with her head on his shoulder. The tightness returned to his chest so he nudged her a little too hard, and she awoke with a start.
"Oh, are we stopping here?" she rubbed her eyes with a yawn.
"It's the best place I could find," he jumped down from the cart and started to free the horse so he could roam about. The jewel around his neck prevented him from running off.
Hermione removed the tent from the back and tossed it on the ground. She waved her wand and it exploded into a four-man tent, but they both knew it was much larger on the inside. She began to move their belongings inside as he settled down the horse and made sure the cart was locked into place.
Severus joined her inside and saw she was standing over a cooking pot. The flame glowed underneath from a single twig and two bowls floated from the bag by her feet. He took a seat at the table she worked on and started to sort through the many books they'd collected.
"Do you ever wonder what's happening back in reality?" she asked out of the blue.
"Not really," it was the truth, he didn't want to recall anything about his life prior to Heaven. He could see the worry on her face. "However, there's nothing wrong with you doing that. You actually have people who care for you back there."
"So do you," she quipped back.
"I highly doubt that."
"Harry will be missing you."
He didn't bother to look up from the book he was scanning. "Him missing me is based off his own imagination."
"Why can't you just accept that people care?"
"Why can't you sense that I don't want to talk about it?!" he snapped, and she glared at him. "I'm happy here knowing that they're far away from me."
"You'd be thinking the same way about me if I wasn't dead?"
"Very much so."
"Cook your own dinner!" she slammed down the ladle and walked through the silver drapes that shielded her makeshift room. His eyes narrowed in annoyance, and it came to his attention once more that they were like an old married couple — I don't want to go to bed knowing that she's mad at me.
However, he did so, reluctantly.
AN:/ Thank you to everyone who favourited, followed and reviewed the last chapter! I'm glad to see so many of you are enjoying this so far! As you can see in this chapter I'm leaning towards them having a playful friendship, with Severus starting to realise that he likes something about her. But does Hermione feel the same way? You'll have to wait and find out! Oh, and just to clear things up, this is not a reflection of my religious beliefs, since I don't have any. But I can appreciate the wide variety that exist!