Chapter 20

There she stood at the doors to the great hall. This felt all too farmiliar, yet very foreign at the same time. Hermione was there for the same reasons as the other students, yet she was not.

She felt the familiar buzz of aticipation, as she heard the patters of new bewildered feet entering the great hall for the first time.

Oh the innocents of first years! She thought to herself.

Hermione never thought she would be back at Hogwarts finally completing her NEWTS. She was a student again, yet she also wasn't. She was there to finish her exams, then to be trained in the infirmary.

So yes, a student, but in so many ways she could never see herself as a true student anymore.

It felt very odd to be sat around the other Gryffindors. For the first time in years, she could see in all of their faces excitement of the year to come. Not one of those faces showed an ounce of fear for the uncertainty of the year to come.

There was no threat. No more dark wizards.

Comfort, that was the best word Severus could use to describe his feelings. Almost the feeling of complete normalcy.

He was back.

He wasn't Headmaster, he wasn't balancing with death anymore, for better words, he was home.

He took a deep breath leaning into his chair, eyes scanning over all the new doughy eyed first years.

It didn't take long for their eyes to meet.

Hermione's eyes shone bright at his.

'Oh, this shall be an interesting few months.' he smirked to himself.

The feast had started, and the cacophany of hundreds of hungry mouths could be heard tucking into their meals. Severus began prodding his shepherds pie, when a sudden clearing of the throat caught his attention.

"I wonder Severus, if we could wipe the slate clean?"He knew this was coming.

He knew it as soon as he found he found out that he'd accepted the Dark Arts position.

"I know there is history with us, mainly expanding from school. And from recent incidents...I"

"Think no more of it Lupin." Sighed Severus, "I do not wish to upset Hermione."

He paused, and leant towards Remus with a stern look in his eyes. "But if you try anything, and I mean ANYTHING with Hermione, that slate will definatly not be clean."

The silence from Remus spoke a thousand words.

His hands started to fumble with his cutlary.

"I understand Severus."

Hermione knew the way to the Gryffindor tower like the back of her hand, she knew every cobble stone, every portrait, even the precise moment in which to step on the staircse.

But this time was different, for the first time, even as a returning student, she didn't need to walk down those cobbles, or the portraits that she had seen countless times before.

Because now she had her own private room, in a different part of the castle. However dispite all of the new circumstances, the one thing that gave her comfort in all this newness was Severus.

Excitement carried her feet as she opened the door. She quickly discared her robes and got into something more comfortable.

Once she was changed, her hand reached for the floo powder to utter his name, the name she had been thinking about all night. With a quick flash of emerald smoke, she was there.

"Well Miss Granger, five point from Gryffindor for tardyness."

THWAK!

Severus smirked, completely knowing what he was doing."Mmm, that's going to be another ten points."

"Oh piss off Severus!" Hermione teased, looking up into his eyes, full of mischeif.

"Such language!"

Hermion chuckled and wrapped her arms around his warm body, and placed her lips on his.

She was home.