The Reunion

The next morning he was already out of bed when she woke up. It took her a moment to figure out where she was, but his scent still lingered on the pillow, helping her recall the events of the prior evening. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up to get a better look at the room, picking up her wand from the bedside table to flick the curtains open with a spell. The pale December sun was shining, some slanted rays making their way through the window. The large bed had a cherry wood frame and headboard, polished to a shine, and light grey bedding. The walls were painted a deep navy blue, with a subtle pattern of swirling smoke and twirling vines that emerged or disappeared depending on how the light fell. The floor appeared to be oiled oak planks, with a large light grey area rug around the bed for comfort. He had a dresser next to the window and a wardrobe in a corner, but overall the room appeared airy and welcoming if a bit subdued.

She extricated herself from the covers and made her way across the hallway to the bathroom which was decorated in a style similar to that in his Hogwarts quarters, with white marble countertops and dark cabinets. He had a large tub in the corner with several different faucets for baths or a shower. The tiled floor was warm under her feet, and she idly wondered if the cottage came with Muggle-style floor heating or if it was powered by magic. Once finished in the bathroom she returned to the bedroom, thinking about what to wear. She didn't much feel like wearing her office robes and she didn't have any spare clothes in her bag apart from her usual emergency knickers. Winky must have fetched the bag for her as it was now on a chair in the corner of the bedroom.

He must have heard her moving about and soon entered the room clad in a simple white shirt and black slacks. She reached for him, pulling him down for a kiss which quickly grew heated. Her hands snaked in under his shirt to stroke his flanks, tugging him along to the bed again. Lust and an absolute need to have him close, closer, all of him, rose swiftly and she summarily Divesto'd his clothing so that she could feel his skin against her own. He groaned as well and started trailing kisses down her throat, making her toes curl. She pulled off the t-shirt and he helped her with the knickers before laying down next to her, close, as close as possible. His skin on hers felt wonderful, all the way down to her toes.

A thought broke through the haze of lust. "Severus… I'm not on the potion right now."

"Ah." He looked up at her, frowning slightly as understanding broke.

"There wasn't any point with you gone, I haven't since… since… " She didn't know what to say. Memories and pain rose up to the surface again along with the tears.

He kissed her temple and curled himself around her protectively. "Hush, sweet, it's alright. I won't let you down again."

That broke through the swirling emotions and she frowned at him. "What? You can't promise that, what if you didn't mean to? Besides, I was the one to let you down, wasn't I?"

He chuckled. "Alright. I'll amend that statement. I swear I won't ever intentionally hurt you, Hermione Granger. And if I hurt you unintentionally, I will do all that is in my power to rectify the situation. Well, as long as you inform me of my transgression, of course."

That statement was so pedantically precise it made her heart swell for him. She smiled and kissed his cheek. "You are the best of men, Severus Snape."

His eyebrow rose again. "You are quite deluded."

"What, for thinking you are the best? A good man? But you are, all that and more. I love you."

He shook his head but there was a smile in his eyes. "Quite deluded indeed. Poor little witch. Now what should a wizard do when he finds a naked and rather delectable witch in his bed?"

She squeaked when he moved to nibble at her earlobe. "Gods, Severus!"

His mouth on her breast, a hand snaking down between her legs to rub her clit in circles. She was thrumming with need for him. He muttered a preventative charm over her belly before putting his wand aside.

"Need you now!" she commanded, tugging at his arms to get him where she wanted him.

He kissed her hungrily and finally after so long she had him where she wanted, his thick cock finally sliding back into her. Both of them groaned as he filled her, pausing for a moment before he started to move. She spurred him on and before long she was lost in an orgasm. He grimaced, trying to hold back his own as she twitched around him. When she relaxed he kissed her fiercely and picked up the pace even more until she was howling his name as another orgasm hit, pulling him with her. He collapsed in a sweaty heap on top of her.

"Marry me," he gasped even before he had his breath back.

"What?!" Had she heard that right?

"Yes, witch. Marry me?"

"What?" she tried again. "What are you talking about?"

He rolled off her to lean on an elbow, the other arm slung over her ribs, below her breasts. "Hermione, I want you to know that I wish to make this official. No more sneaking around. I want you by my side until the end of time and beyond. You and only you. I want every other wizard to know that I'm the lucky bastard who caught you before they had a chance. I want to wake up next to you in the morning, argue about research, buy Indian take-out and watch silly television shows with you until we're both too old to see the screen."

Her heart soared and she turned towards him. "Severus… Yes, of course yes! I want you, no one else but you."

There was the hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth, in his eyes. "I will protect you."

She leaned over for a kiss. "I will defend you. I love you."

He tugged her closer and lay down on his back again. She followed, her head on his shoulder. She could feel his heartbeat, the rise and fall of his chest. It felt like home.

"Are you sure?" he asked after a while. "No one before… no one has ever said those words to me."

Now it was her turn to rise up on her elbow, to see him properly. He looked wary, as if it was all a dream that would soon evaporate. Her heart swelled for him, with love.

"Severus, I love you. I love you, I love you. I want to marry you." She reached over to kiss him again, trying to prove it.

He drew a long breath and seemed to relax, actually smiling at her. "Breakfast?" he asked after a while.

She smiled. "I'll just shower first."

He went down to the kitchen and she went for a quick shower. She stole his shirt since she didn't want to wear her office robes, and a pair of woollen socks. At least she had fresh knickers.

When she padded down the stairs, the smell of cooking greeted her. Severus was busy in the kitchen area, cooking bacon and scrambled eggs. A pot of tea was brewing and the table was set for two.

In daylight the layout and design of the cottage became clearer. The kitchen area was straight across from the foyer, with an open-plan dining room joining it to the sitting room where she'd found Severus the evening before. Pale December sunlight was streaming in through the windows on the kitchen side. She walked up to Severus and hugged him from behind, resting her cheek on his shoulder blade. He hummed in greeting and continued to stir the scrambled eggs while pointing out where the cups and cutlery were. Soon they were seated by the table, and Hermione found that she was hungrier than she'd expected.

Suddenly the sound of an incoming Floo could be heard through the open doorway to the foyer.

"Severus, you rascal, you left me alone to deal with Margolotta at the Patent Office! You knew we had a meeting at nine, where were you?" Lucius Malfoy started talking even before he made it into the room. He took one look at the half-clad couple. Both of his eyebrows hiked up almost to his hairline before he quickly collected himself. "Oh. I see."

"Lucius…" Severus growled.

Lucius smirked. "Don't mind me, Severus. So this is the one you've been pining for, is it? Miss Granger, quite the surprise."

"Good morning, Mr Malfoy," Hermione managed, in equal parts embarrassed and amused by the situation. Had Severus been pining for her, really?

Lucius turned on the full Malfoy charm and smiled at her before he reached for her hand to ghost a kiss over her knuckles. "It's Lucius, dear. I suspect we will see a fair bit of each other, don't you think?"

Hermione blushed. "Please call me Hermione." He still made her uncomfortable. Although she was friendly with Draco she hadn't forgotten her prior visit to Malfoy Manor, during the height of the war.

Severus growled again and rose from the table. "Lucius, we'll talk later."

Lucius rolled his eyes at him. "Alright, alright, I know when I'm not wanted. Congratulations and don't cock this up, Severus."

"Goodbye," she managed.

Lucius winked at her and left the way he came.

"Bloody meddling Malfoy," Severus grumbled. "What are your plans for the day? I'll have to call him in a bit and I also need to check on a couple of potions in the lab."

"I need some clothes and I promised my parents I'd open up the wards on the house for them and give them their keys back. Can I… can I come here after?"

He looked almost surprised. "Of course, Hermione. I thought that was implied? If you don't see me just call for Winky, she'll know where I am."

She returned to her flat after they finished their late breakfast, to check on Crooks and Iris and fetch some clothes. The bird hooted at her, and Hermione told her about Severus' new address. Crookshanks seemed to grumble a bit but accepted her bribe of an enchanted catnip mouse and some tuna. There were several owls waiting outside her window for her to accept her mail, and she let them in but left the mail unread on her kitchen table.

After changing into a more practical outfit of jeans and a dark blue jumper she hesitated a bit. How much should she pack? After having spent too long staring at her open wardrobe she huffed and started stuffing a few sets of clothes into her trusty extendable bag somewhat at random. She'd still have to check on the animals, after all. It took her a little while to hunt down the keys for her childhood home, but soon she was ready to leave.

She hadn't been back to her old childhood home since a year or so after the end of the war. It had been too difficult to go back, getting assaulted by the memories when her parents were lost to her. After Apparating to a nearby alley she walked up to the house. The front yard was overgrown with weeds, the old apple tree in the corner had dropped all its apples on the lawn to rot and the roses underneath the windows were out of control. The Anti-Muggle wards she'd set on the house had worked, at least. There was no mail in the mailbox, not even any pizza fliers. Her anti-magical wards also seemed to still be functional and the house looked just as when she'd left it. After cleaning up the worst of the debris in the garden she cautiously lifted the wards and replaced them with some more basic anti-theft wards and some that warded against people with ill intent, before she walked up the front stairs and put her key in the lock.

The interior of the house was much the same. It smelled musty and stale from disuse but nothing was moved or disturbed. The water and electricity were shut off but it didn't seem as if the house had sustained any damages while it was unoccupied. She opened a few windows, cleaned the worst of the dust with a flick of her wand and made her way upstairs to her old room. She had already removed almost all of her belongings, and what remained she could go through later with her parents. The room was exactly as she'd left it. Pale blue wallpaper with tiny roses, a desk by the window, three bookshelves along the wall, a drawer for her clothes, her bed. A reminder of a different time, a different life. Suddenly she was overtaken by the need to be elsewhere, anywhere else but here, and she left quickly, locking the door without looking back. She Apparated back to London and dropped the keys off at her parents' hotel, not meeting up with them as they were out for the day.

Returning to Severus' cottage was a relief. She wasn't ready to let the outside world in yet. He had set the wards to allow her to Apparate directly inside, so she visualised the foyer and concentrated. The house felt empty, however, and he didn't answer when she called his name.

"Winky?"

The elf popped into view immediately, beaming proudly. "Miss is back to stays with Master? Master is in labs. Miss leave bags here and I shows you the way."

Hermione smiled at the elf. It was clear, despite her teenage misgivings about house-elf servitude, that Winky thrived when belonging to a family, even if said family was one grumpy Potions Master. "Thank you, Winky."

Winky led her through a side corridor to another door which led out into the backyard. The cottage was situated on top of a small hill, and the landscape opened up to a series of fields and woodland groves with some larger hilltops along the edges of the valley. A small stream ran nearby down into the valley, and what she presumed was the boundary of Severus' property was outlined with a dense hedge. There were two other relatively large white-washed buildings near the cottage, and Winky pointed towards the one to the left. Hermione nodded and walked over to it, feeling the hum of his wards washing over her as she opened the oak door. She entered another foyer, with an open door to the left showing an office and another one leading to what she presumed was ingredients storage. A third, larger door was left half open and she could hear the sounds of a bubbling cauldron coming from there, so she stepped closer. He was there, his head bent over a cauldron which simmered over a flame, giving off purple fumes.

She scraped her foot on the stone floor to let him know she was there, much in the same way they had done in his Hogwarts lab. He tilted his head towards her slightly, indicating that he'd heard her, but continued working on his potion with an intense focus, stirring in a precise pattern and watching for something she couldn't discern. He had put his hair up with a black hair tie and his shirtsleeves were rolled up, baring his sinewy arms. She found a stool and settled quietly, watching him work.

After a while he put his stirring rod down and turned to her. "I have to wait half an hour and then add the next batch of ingredients before I can finish here."

"Can I help?"

He seemed surprised, for some reason. "Would you? Well, you could slice the motherwort roots while I purify the Flobberworm mucus."

She nodded and, after some pointers from Severus where everything was stored, set to work slicing the purple roots. "What are you working on?"

"Hmm?" He looked up from the small cauldron he was using for the preparation. "Oh, this is a cure for gout. Nothing terribly earth-shattering but I have already spent half a year on it and it's almost ready."

She nodded and handed him the prepared roots. While he waited to start next stage he showed her the research notes, all the trial attempts and the corrections. Almost on autopilot she pulled up a parchment and started checking the Arithmancy calculations as she tried to follow his trail of thought through the trial process.

"Hermione."

She looked up from her parchment, startled to see him standing right in front of her. Apparently he had called for her attention a few time, if the slight exasperated look was anything to go by.

"Let me show you around."

They started with the lab building which apparently used to be an old barn for housing farming equipment, but now was remade to accommodate advanced research instead. The main lab had several workstations, magical fume hoods, white-washed walls and bright magical lighting in a style that resembled Muggle lights. Cauldrons were neatly stored and sorted based on size and material, knives and other utensils were clean and organised and the ingredients were easily accessible through a side door.

"I bought it this summer," he said after she asked about the place she had visited when trying to talk to him. "I had begun looking last spring but didn't find this place until August. It seemed right. Spinner's End was where I grew up, a miserable place that I'm glad to be rid of."

They went outside, he showed her where he was planning a Potions garden, and the other annex building which had probably been used as a guest house and was still outfitted with Muggle-style appliances and electricity, with three rather small bedrooms, a tiny bathroom and a slightly larger sitting room with a small kitchenette.

She stole a kiss when they exited. He seemed distant, somehow, and she was not sure why. They went back to the cottage where Winky had already prepared a beef stew for them, with lit candles and a bottle of wine to go with it. They settled down to eat in silence. He didn't look at her, almost hiding behind his black hair as he focused on the meal. Was he already tired of her? Not until he'd finished his plate did he speak up.

"What have you told your friends?"

She looked up. "About us, this? Nothing yet, I got some mail but I left them at the flat, I haven't read them. It's not as if I'd had much time to meet up with them."

"You're not suggesting we hide again, are you?" He was frowning, wary.

"No! Not at all. I want to tell everyone I'm with you. I just… I'd just want a little time for us first? I had planned to go to St Mungo's on Monday anyway to talk to Healer Trout… Desmond. It's just… Harry will insist on asking why I'm seeing you of all people, Ginny will ask lots of inappropriate details and the twins will… I don't know what they will do, actually."

He smirked. "True. Very well, as long as we are in agreement."

Finally she understood the reason for his wariness. She reached for his hand across the table. "Severus, I'm proud to be with you. You know that? I won't hide this, I promise. I can go talk to them this weekend. I need to see my parents as well."

He nodded. "You could invite your parents here if you want."

"You know that if you involve yourself with me you'll have to face various Weasleys and even Harry Potter in your home, right?"

"Perish the thought," he muttered, but some of the spark was back in his eyes and he was looking at her again.

They moved to the sitting room after finishing their meal, bringing the wine glasses. There was a comfortable-looking couch near the armchair she'd found him in the evening before, and a few bookshelves lining the walls. A coffee table was placed in front of the couch, and a side table laden with books by his armchair. He gestured for her to take a seat on the couch and flicked his wand to start a fire in the fireplace.

Hermione was pensive. Apparently he was still unsure of them, of what their relationship would be like in the eyes of the world. Perhaps he too needed some reassurance, much as she did? If she wanted to restart a relationship with him on an equal footing it wouldn't be fair if he wasn't allowed to be insecure every once in a while.

"What would you like for dessert?" he asked. "Winky makes a good apple pie."

She shook her head, plucked his wine glass from his fingers to put it safely on a side table, and pounced. "You," she said against the corner of his mouth before kissing him hungrily, straddling him. After a moment's hesitation his arms came up to wrap tightly around her. He groaned into her mouth when she ground her pelvis against his crotch. Her own need for him rose sharply, heat pooling in her lower belly, but she wanted to focus on him this time. She raked her fingers through his inky black hair and moved to kiss his cheekbones, his temples, his throat. He closed his eyes, his hands snaking under the hem of her top, encircling her waist.

"I love you," she murmured close to his ear. "I'll tell anyone, everyone. We could announce it in the Leaky, take out an ad in the Prophet, anything you wish."

He quirked an eyebrow at her, pulling back slightly to better see her. "Then they'd all think you mad, Miss Granger."

She hummed in assent and followed. His ear looked quite delicious. She started nibbling it, tracing the edge with her tongue, making him hiss. "I don't care, Severus Snape. You're mine now, you hear that? I'm not letting you go and all those other witches better know it."

He tried to move, but she stopped him with a hand on his shoulder and shifted slightly backwards on his lap to get better access to the buttons of his shirt. She trailed kisses down his chest as she managed to unbutton it.

"Hermione…" His hand rose to play with her hair.

"Mine," she almost growled and nibbled his nipple, causing him to hiss, his hips bucking upward slightly. She grinned and kissed him again while her hands started unbuttoning his trousers. When she had managed to free his erection from its confines she sank down between his legs, studying it and the man it belonged to. He had slouched down a bit, to give her better access, and his heated gaze was following her every move. His dick twitched when she wet her lips with her tongue, even before she moved to kiss the swollen head. She swirled her tongue around the top, tasting the salty drop that had already gathered there. She whispered a lubrication charm over her hands, and put one around the shaft to help steady it as she started moving her head over him. When she looked up, she saw him looking down on her with half-lidded eyes, resting his head back against the couch, clutching the armrest tightly with one hand. Her other hand moved to his heavy balls, but she had to stop for a moment to pull down his trousers a bit more to gain proper access. She shifted a little and put her mouth on his balls, sucking them into her mouth. He hissed. She lifted an eyebrow at him in a good Snape imitation, watching his nostrils flare as he fought to stay still under her ministrations. It made her feel powerful, being able to bring him to such a state. Returning to his cock she decided to try some of the things Lavender and Parvati had giggled about in the dorms at Hogwarts, and she started humming. When she started stroking downwards from the head with alternating hands, starting with one hand near the head right as the other reached his groin, and also hollowed her cheeks to suck hard on the head, he suddenly exploded almost without warning with a strangled curse, his come hitting the roof of her mouth. She waited until he had stopped twitching before she released him.

"Where did you…"

She smirked. "You liked it?"

"Come here." He reached for her.

She settled sideways in his lap and he kissed her hungrily, heedless of his own taste on her lips.

After a while she suggested tea. He rose somewhat unsteadily and sorted out his clothing while she went to put the kettle on. When she pulled down cups for them he came up behind her and put his arms around her shoulders, breathing in the scent of her hair. They settled back on the couch with their cups.

"I get the Septimius reference, but what about the phoenix logo?" she asked.

"That one is rather literal, actually." He traced his lower lip with a very distracting finger and cleared his throat. "When I was in the Infirmary after Minerva and Poppy brought me in, suddenly Fawkes was there. He sat on my chest, dropped tears on the wounds and in my eyes and mouth, and sang something, quietly, that sounded a bit like 'I claim you'. Then he promptly set himself ablaze and disappeared. I was so far out of it that I hardly realised it at the time but Poppy commented afterwards that my healing had gone suspiciously well, and when I finally made it back to my private labs there was an angry and very hungry chick sitting in a cauldron, demanding to know where the mangoes he requested were and what took me so long. He's quite bossy, that one. He didn't want to reappear as Fawkes at Hogwarts, for reasons I have yet to figure out, and so you know him better as Muninn these days."

"Muninn is… Fawkes?"

The bird in question appeared as if summoned and stared at both of them. He let out a chain of notes and cocked his head to the side. With a rustle of his wings he suddenly shifted form, from the majestic owl to the flame-coloured phoenix with his long tail and the crest of feathers on his head. Overall, his colours were slightly darker than before, with streaks of black on his head and down his back.

Severus snorted. "He says his name now is Muninn, and that you should have brought Iris along to stay here already."

"I wasn't just… I can't just bring her in just like that!" she protested.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "I wouldn't mind if you bring your belongings here, Hermione. There is plenty of room for your clothes and books and whatever else you have. Even that mangy cat of yours could stay here, as long as it means you will sleep in my bed. Our bed."

"Are you sure? You want me to live here with you?"

He nodded. "If you want to? I thought that went without saying."

She practically tackled him as she flung herself at him. "Of course I want to live with you!"

She could feel him relaxing. He kissed her, tenderly.

"I still cannot believe all of this, Hermione," he admitted quietly. "I never thought I'd have someone to share my life with. I gave up looking for it even before I began searching, I didn't think there would be anyone out there who could stand my personality for long enough to actually agree to such a thing, or that I would be able to find someone I could be in the same room with for longer than a few hours. And then you showed up when I least expected it and somehow managed to sneak past all my defences to steal my heart. I didn't even think I had one, after all those years."

She sat up straighter in his lap so that she could look at him properly. "You're mine now. I will not let you go. I'm just amazed that all the other witches failed to realised what a treasure they could have had, in you."

He snorted. "Deluded, I say. Still, you said yes." He shifted her a little to better access his pocket, and dug out a small box which he then handed to her. "I went to fetch this earlier today, it is almost the only thing I inherited from my mother. Would you consent to wearing it, as a symbol of my commitment to bond with you whenever you are ready?"

She opened the box. Inside was an engagement ring with a solitary diamond set in a white metal. The band was wrought in one piece but twisted, somehow giving the impression that something was moving.

"It is Goblin-wrought platinum, impervious even to the worst potions. There are some runes etched to the band giving some basic protection."

She held out her left hand for him to put the ring on her finger. When he slid it on it resized to fit her perfectly. The runes buzzed faintly when she put it on but the feeling dissipated quickly. She reached for him for a kiss, need for him surging over her like a wave. Suddenly she found herself in his bed again. He made short work of their clothes and soon she had his hands, his mouth everywhere, driving her into new heights of want. He was quite thorough in his exploration, and when he finally touched her properly she exploded in an orgasm as soon as he inserted two fingers. Before she'd come down from her peak he moved up her body and pushed himself inside, causing her to gasp. He started out slow and grinding, pushing deep inside, his pelvis putting delightful pressure on her clit, but soon he picked up the pace, slamming his hips into hers. She met his pace, seeking release, gasping his name when it hit which caused him to lose control and follow her. They collapsed into a sweaty tangle.

Something had been bothering her about his comments, but it took her a while to work out what it was. After a quick shower they headed back to bed. She crawled up almost on top of him, resting her head on his shoulder, a leg slung over his thigh.

"Severus?"

"Hmm?"

"You don't think me foolish or stupid, do you?"

He turned his head to look at her, frowning. "No, of course not. Why?"

"You see, there is this wizard I'm seeing. He's quite brave, and powerful, and clever. I have promised to defend him against others, when they don't understand him or think he is bad. And now there's someone who thinks I'm foolish for wanting to be with him, that it makes me deluded? I won't accept that. No one is allowed to put him down like that."

Slowly understanding dawned and he went from suspicious to almost smiling. She wanted more of that, of his smile. He needed some happiness in his life.

"Hermione. This is all new to me. Thank you."

She nodded and settled against him, her head on his shoulder.

"We'll work it out, together."