Hi ya! All right, so Hermione is healthy once again, but these two idiots are driving us all nuts! Let's see what we can do... The story starts to earn it's rating towards the end of the chapter, but there is one more coming.

Thank you all for the faves, follows and reviews! You all rock my socks! Big thanks to darnedchild for her unending support and betaing skills. Also, of course, my bestie of besties MrsMCrieff for her encouragement. All the mistakes are mine, all mine!

I own nothing. Enjoy ~Lil~

Severus was furious. Logically he knew he should take a moment before confronting his… before confronting Hermione about the information he'd just received. His less than rational side, however, was telling him to march into her house, bind her to a chair and make her bushy little head listen to reason. Apparating to a secluded spot in Hermione's neighbourhood he paused before continuing on to her house. Thankfully, logic prevailed as he sat down at a bus stop and took a moment to collect himself.

As he sat there taking deep breaths, for some reason his mind wandered to the last attack Hermione had suffered. And oh, had she suffered. It had happened around lunchtime just a few hours before Yaxley was found. This was the episode that the Death Eater had witnessed whilst Severus was in his mind. Why did it have to be that one? Severus wondered as the images started to assail his mind.

Severus was in his study when he heard her coming down the stairs. Those stairs scared him half to death. If the spasms started whilst she was descending them she could fall to her death. More often than not during an episode Hermione would lose control of her limbs.

He stood and walked into the hall, staying just out of sight of the bottom step. Wand at the ready, he listened very closely as she walked; if she started to spasm he could cast a spell to keep her from harming herself. It was a slow process, but once he saw her curly mane of hair round the corner, he relaxed and put away his wand. Hermione smiled when she saw him.

"I was just on my way to ask what you wanted for lunch," he lied.

Cocking her head to the side she said, "No you weren't. You came to make sure I didn't fall." She giggled. "Silly man, I'm on to you." She patted his chest then motioned toward the kitchen with her head. "Come on, I'm actually hungry for once."

Once they got to the kitchen Hermione started going through the fridge and pantry. After a thorough once over, she turned to Severus and said, "Salad?"

"If you let me cut the veg," he replied.

"Oh, you're no fun at all. Where's your sense of adventure?"

"You're cheeky this afternoon," he said as he selected a knife from the drawer.

"I didn't have an episode last night." She smiled brightly up at him from her crouched position as she pulled out a cucumber and lettuce. After selecting a tomato, she handed it to him and said, "Like I mentioned before: I'm hungry. That's got to be a good sign."

He didn't have the heart to tell her he'd increased her appetite inducer after his latest assessment showed that she'd lost another two pounds. Instead, he picked up a tomato, checking it for imperfections before washing it. He had to force himself not to stare at her pert bottom as she wiggled it around and searched for her favourite salad dressing.

A soft yelp drew his attention and he whipped back around to find Hermione doubled over. "S-Sever…" She never got that last syllable out as she fell over and started convulsing.

He dropped the knife on the counter and was next to her in less than two seconds. Turning her over onto her side in case she vomited, Severus reached into his pocket and pulled out a phial of anticonvulsant. He magically removed the stopper and started pouring it down her throat. Unfortunately before she finished drinking it, her arm involuntarily flew up, knocking the phial out of his hand. He watched helplessly as half of the potion spilled onto the lino. Severus cursed under his breath and pinned her arms down to her side to keep her from harming herself. He didn't want to Bind her unless it was absolutely necessary.

Her face was contorted in misery as she gasped and whined. The spasms had reduced some, but she was obviously still in pain. He needed a pain potion and didn't happen to have one in his pocket. Loosening his hold on her arms he said, "I need to retrieve some potion from the basement. If you'll…"

"Oh, gods, Severus! M-m-make it stop," she sobbed as she clung to his shirt, pulling him closer. "Don't leave me, p-pl-please. Oh, gods it hurts."

Later he would realise that imbibing half of the dosage had caused something he'd not witnessed in many months. Most of her muscles had relaxed, including her diaphragm meaning she was able to articulate just how much pain she was experiencing.

"Hermione, I have to go get you a potion before you before you go mad from the pain." Severus had seen people succumb to throes of agony. It wasn't the pain that broke their minds, it was the hopelessness. It was despair that gripped their souls and refused to let go until there was nothing left to hold onto. The pain was just the blunt tool used to soften them up, to make them ripe for the plucking. Whilst he still had breath in his lungs, Severus refused to watch the witch in his arms lose herself to the madness brought on by torture.

His words had had no effect, she was still clutching at his chest, pleading with him, begging him to stay. Rational thinking had been taken over by self-preservation and, for some reason, she equated this to his presence with her on the kitchen floor. "Hermione..." He pulled her hands free from his shirt, but she clawed at him, trying to keep hold. "Miss Granger!" he barked in a perfect impression of his teaching persona. "You will let go of me this instance! I must acquire a potion for you to stop the pain. You are an Auror, young lady, and an Order of Merlin awardee. You must get control of yourself."

Her eyes grew wide and her fingers slowly released his shirt. "I'm s-sorry, p-professor."

The words broke off a little piece of Severus' heart, but outwardly he showed nothing. Taking the opportunity to stand, he started for the hallway then turned back. "I'll only be a moment. And I will return, Hermione."

When he returned he found her propped up against the cabinet, trembling. "You came back," she whispered.

"Of course I did, wife. Now, take this." He handed her the pain potion, seeing that the tremor had subsided a little more, and watched her drink it greedily. Less than a minute later she heaved a sigh and Severus watched as the pain ebbed away from her. "This is a half dose of the anticonvulsant," he said, handing her another phial.

Once again she took the potion without comment, then rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm so sor…" she started.

"You will not finish that sentence, Hermione. Just tell me what you need."

Turning her head to face him, she replied, "Take me to bed, Severus."

Without another word, he picked her up, bridal style and carried her to her bed. She clung to him like a limpet the whole way.

As the memory faded from his mind, Severus cursed to himself before standing up and storming toward her house. His reflection had done nothing to quell his anger. If anything it had only added fuel to it. Has she completely lost her mind? he thought as he passed easily through wards, taking a moment to consider the fact that they were still keyed to admit him.

Hermione was in the middle of a very good day, relatively speaking. After having finished a long relaxing bath, she had done her best to tame her hair, then put on a simple summer dress. After some debate, she decided to put on a touch of make-up, for a change, as well. She was due at Harry's in less than an hour for lunch with him and Luna.

She'd been home from St Mungo's for nearly three weeks and she was feeling almost completely back to normal. There had been no major episodes since she'd been home, only the occasional minor tremor. Severus' restorative potion was working wonders; she felt stronger every day. Her appetite had returned with a vengeance and she was certain she'd already gained back some weight (thank you Molly Weasley). Physically she was much better. Mentally however…

Most nights she would wake up from a horrible dream, her whole body tight with fear. When she woke she'd expect pain and spasms, but there'd be nothing. Nothing but the memory of agony and losing control of her own body. And, of course, memories of him. That's what made it so much worse. There was no grumpy Potions Master sleeping down the hall. She always felt more lonely in the middle of the night, wishing he'd come rushing into her room to comfort her, to tell her it was going to be okay, that it was only a dream.

She felt so weak, needing his presence in her life like some simpering child. Hermione wasn't the kind of woman who needed a man by her side to make her feel safe. But he had become a constant in all those months living in her home and she suddenly felt a bit lost.

For the first week that she'd been home she had tried to convince herself that her feelings were nothing more than that: some kind of misplaced attachment. He had taken care of her, healed her, and she felt dependent on him, in some ways. But as the days wore on, she realised that she truly missed him; everything about him. She missed talking to him, she missed eating with him, she even missed smelling him, for Merlin's sake! She'd find herself in his study, staring at the desk remembering seeing him hunched over some Dark tome. One day she wandered into the guest room and laid down, simply because his bed still carried his scent. It was the best sleep she'd had since returning home.

The house was completely devoid of his possessions. She kept wishing that he'd forgotten something, thus giving her some reason to contact him. After a searching it over (twice) she'd come up with nothing, not so much as a single sock or stirring rod that could give her an excuse to send him an owl.

In the end she decided that she was pathetic, not to mention ridiculously in love with the man who used to be her husband. Telling herself that unrequited love would fade at some point offered her little comfort, especially with the faint memory of that faded dream lingering in the back of her mind. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was missing something. Something important.

Leaving the bathroom, she decided that she was done brooding and that this time she really was moving on. Severus clearly had. She'd not received a single owl from him since she'd been home. When she walked into the sitting room, however, she felt her wards being breached.

She opened the door only moments after he walked onto her front step, clearly alerted to his presence by her wards. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

He wasn't at all surprised by her greeting, he had left without so much as a goodbye, well, that she knew of. Severus gave himself a moment to take in her appearance. She looked beautiful in a light blue Muggle dress, knee length, with tiny straps holding the thing up. She had a healthy glow about her and had put on at least two pounds, perhaps three. He mentally shook himself, he was here for a reason and it wasn't ogling his former student. "Am I not welcome?" he asked.

"Of course you are, Severus." Turning around, she and led him into the house. When they were in the sitting room she faced him and said, "What brings you by this afternoon?" Her voice sounded stiff and formal.

He ignored the tight feeling in his chest that her tone had caused. "I've just had a visit from our Minister. He informed me that you plan on returning to work next week." He planted his hands on his hips. "Please tell me he was mistaken."

"He was not," she stated plainly.

"Why?" he demanded.

"What?"

"Why, Hermione, are you going back to a job that nearly killed you?"

"Because it's my job."

"A job that is far beneath you and your abilities. A job that was not in any way challenging to you. A job that you didn't even enjoy, Hermione. Why on earth would you go back to the Aurory?"

"I have my reasons," she spit out.

"I'd like to hear them."

"Pardon me?"

"Answer the question, Hermione!"

She bristled, clearly not pleased with him demanding answers. "I need a job, Severus. What am I supposed to do for money? Besides, do you think I'd be content sitting around all the time, doing nothing. I've done that for months and frankly I'm sick of it!"

"Then do something worth your time, worth your abilities!"

"What, exactly?"

"Have you even looked into another occupation, or have you just given up?" He paced away from her. "I never pegged you as a quitter!"

Oh, that one worked...

"I'm not quitting," she said in a low, angry voice.

It caused a chill to run down his spine and he turned to find one angry little Gryffindor staring up at him.

"Quite the opposite really, I'm going back to my job!" she emphasised the last two words indignantly.

"What happened to doing anything you wanted? Remember our conversation? I do!" He moved closer and fought the urge to take her in his arms and beg her not to put herself in danger once again. "This can't be what you want to do. You could do anything, Hermione. You're brilliant. You're 're determined..."

"Wha…What?" she stammered, and he watched her ire turn to confusion in a blink. Shaking her head, she cleared her throat. "Umm, what I wanted wasn't really an option."

"And what precisely was that?"

She chewed on her lip then folded her arms protectively over her chest. Looking at him defiantly she said, "It doesn't really matter."

Severus huffed out a breath. Headstrong, willful, little... "You really want to risk your life once again after everything we've done to keep you alive?" He paced away before turning back to her. "We have no idea what the long-term effects of that curse could be. What if you relapse? What if you get hit with a Crucio and it restarts your tremors? I really don't enjoy watching you writhing in pain, Hermione."

Again, she got a strange look on her face. "What did you just say?"

"That getting hit with another Dark curse…"

"No, no. About writhing in pain?"

"Do you think I enjoyed watching you suffer?"

"Of course I didn't, it's just that…" she trailed off, looking confused.

While she was seemingly deep in thought, Severus tried to compose himself. That's when he realised that he was going to have to pull rank. He just hoped he survived the aftermath. Putting on a mask of total indifference and folding his arms across his chest, he said, "I won't allow it."

Hermione was still contemplatively staring off into the distance, chewing her lip and occasionally mumbling to herself. Was she not even paying attention to him and his righteous indignation?

"Did you hear me, Hermione? Did you hear what I said?"

Her eyes still focused on something across the room, she replied, "Yeah, yeah. You won't allow…" She turned, locking eyes with him. The look on her face made Severus blanch. She was either furious or confused or both, he couldn't decide. "I'm sorry? You won't allow it?" she asked, planting her hands on her hips. Definitely furious. "Did I just hear that correctly?"

"You know I don't like repeating myself."

"And I don't give a damn what you don't like! How dare you?! What makes you think you can just…"

"Because we live in the Wizarding World, Hermione, and as your husband I have every right…"

"Right to what!?" she shouted.

"I have every right to keep you from a job that is not only beneath you, but hazardous to your health!"

"That's ridiculous! What a bunch of… Wait, you're not my husband anymore!" She looked at him with what could only be described as perplexed fury.

Okay, this tiny witch is going to kill me. He braced himself then said, "Technically, I am." Merlin's arse, I'm actually afraid of her, he thought wondering where his big bad Death Eater persona had gotten off to.

"We're still... married?" she asked in disbelief.

He nodded, trying to remember if he'd ever felt as much trepidation when facing the Dark Lord. After giving it a moment of thought he realised that no, he hadn't.

She paced away and his mind turned to her wand and whether or not she had it stashed somewhere on her person. Where could she possibly keep it…? His thoughts were stopped a she turned on him. SHIT! Wand or no wand, she was about to tear him apart.

"Why haven't you signed the papers?" she asked, her voice almost cold.

He shook his head, because he wasn't about to tell her the real reason. "I haven't... had time." Fuck me, that was a horrible lie.

Moving closer, she narrowed her eyes and said, "Excuse me? You haven't had time? You haven't had time to sign your name to a piece of parchment?"

Horrible lie or not, he was sticking with it. "And take it to the Ministry. These things take time, Hermione, I…"

"You're lying, and I want to know why."

"I resent…"

"I lived with you for months, I've known you for more than half of my life, and I've never seen that look on your face before. You've not lied to me once since I got sick, Severus. Why are you lying now?"

He desperately tried to erect walls to conceal his emotions that were obviously out of hand.

"No!" she said as she took both of his hands in hers, her face softening as she spoke. "Don't do that. No shields. Just tell me, Severus." Her hands squeezed his. "Why?"

His mind was betraying him as were his emotions. Closing his eyes he tried to get ahold of himself. Then he felt her hands on his face, cradling his cheeks. He opened his eyes to find her mere inches away from him.

"Just tell me," she whispered, looking at him pleadingly, her eyes filling with tears.

And that did it…

"Because I..." His throat felt like it was closing up. Once again, he found that he couldn't say it- couldn't say the words. He opened and closed his mouth, no doubt doing a magnificent impression of a fish, before she spoke up once again.

"Severus," she said, never letting go of his face even to wipe away the tears that were falling down her cheeks. "I need to ask you some questions and I need you to be completely honest with me, okay?"

She waited for him to answer, but he just couldn't. Finally he nodded his head as he wondered what the hell she was about to ask, and if he could actually be honest with her.

"Did you come back to the hospital after everyone else left? Did you visit me while I was sleeping?"

How did she know? His instinct was to lie, to tell her that he'd come home, packed and left. But the truth was that after he added the final ingredients to the third and last batch of restorative potion, it had to simmer for six hours, giving him an opportunity of which he'd taken advantage. Clearly that had been a mistake. As he debated with himself he realised that she must not have taken Dreamless Sleep, but some other, milder sleep inducer. He also realised that he was well and truly buggered. She'd heard his little confession.

"I did," he simply said.

"And did you talk to me and hold my hand?"

"Yes."

"Did you kiss my forehead and tell me goodbye?"

He could only nod his head.

Smiling through her tears she said, "Okay, one more. Were you trying to tell me something?" She took a deep breath, seemingly bracing herself. "Severus, were you trying to tell me that you love me?"

Time seemed to stand still as he looked at his wife's tear damp face and tried to find the courage to answer her question. He wasn't afraid to love, it wasn't that. He was simply terrified of letting go, of admitting that someone else had that much power over him. She could so easily break him. He'd just been released from years of bondage and he didn't want to submit to another master, even one as pure and beautiful as Hermione. His years of servitude had left it's mark. The Dark Lord and Albus cared only about accomplishing their goals, giving no thought to whether or not his soul was being torn apart in the process. He deserved it, of course. It was the price he had to pay for the mistakes of his youth, but now… now everything was different. Hermione wanted him free, she'd said it many times, and he believed her. There was no guile whatsoever in her words. She wanted to see him happy. He knew this as much as he knew that it took one full lunar cycle to brew Veritaserum and that when brewed correctly Amortentia looked like liquid mother-of-pearl.

Well, isn't that interesting? he thought. When thinking of Hermione and how best to answer her question, his mind conjured a comparison to a truth serum and a love potion.

He couldn't lie anymore. There was no point. "Yes, Hermione. It's what I was trying to do," he answered. "I failed though. I- I…"

Hermione's face changed but she didn't look angry or disgusted, as he expected. She just looked...happy. "Thank Merlin," she said in a breathy whisper before her lips crashed against his.

His mind went blank as his body seemed to ignite. It only took a couple of seconds for him to start to respond. It was little more than a press of lips at first as he savoured the kiss. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her close. Hermione's hands had moved to his shoulders, gripping him tightly. For several moments they simply held each other, mouths connected, not really moving and then...

Hermione made a sort of growling noise when he nibbled on her bottom lip then sucked it into his mouth, changing the nature of the kiss. He was holding onto her hips like she might run at any minute. Her hands traveled from his shoulders to his hair. Digging her nails into his scalp, she angled his head before dipping her tongue into his mouth. Her tongue teased his until he chased it into her mouth, unwilling to be outdone.

Finally she broke the kiss, beaming at him like he just handed her the world. "Now what?" she asked.

Something happened in that moment; Severus could no longer hold anything back. It was like the breaking of a dam. He backed her up against the nearest wall and leant down to whisper in her ear.

"What now, Mrs. Snape?" He kissed her neck and felt her shiver against him. "Now, I'd like to make love to you. I want to peel this little frock off of your luscious body and kiss every inch of you. Top. To. Bottom, and then back again." As he pulled back he couldn't help but appreciate the look of shock and lust in her eyes.

Moving his hands down her sides, he found the hem of her dress. Hiking it up he danced his fingertips along both hips at the same time as he continued to explain his intentions. "I want to taste you, to feast on you until you're an incoherent frenzied mess. I've thought about all the ways I could make you come, Hermione. I'd like to try them all." He punctuated his words with little nips at her neck, and shoulder. "Then, wife, I want to slide inside of you. I want to feel you stretching around me, gripping me."

"Shit," she gasped.

"I want to make slow love to you and feel you come apart all around me. I want to hear you call out my name over and over again, Hermione." He then leaned back down and captured her mouth in another breathtaking kiss. When the kiss broke he asked, "What is it that you want?"

"Take me to bed, Severus," she whispered, practically pleading.

"As you wish, wife," he said before picking her up bridal style.

As he turned to carry her through the sitting room, however, a familiar whooshing sound came from the Floo, halting his movement. Seconds later a startled looking Harry Potter stepped into the room.

"Did something happen?" the young wizard asked. "Hermione, you're all flushed! Are you sick again?"

I think from now on we'll call him the Boy Who C-blocked! LOL! Okay, please let me know what you think! One more chapter (I think) and we'll call this one finished. Thanks so much for reading! ~Lil~