A/N: I do not own these characters and I am not profiting from this fanfic.

Chapter 2: Policy of Truth

"Look who decided to grace us with her presence." Severus Snape's wicked tone immediately made her eyes roll. "You know you could've come sooner, we've been sitting ducks for two weeks." Severus Snape had not outgrown his snarl, though he certainly enjoyed reminding Hermione that he was not a professor nor her superior anymore with the same sneer she received almost daily as a student in his potions classroom. Every now and then, she wanted to thump him squarely in the cravat and teach him a lesson for once. Since he had come on board to serve in a task force, she wondered if he had rather died that night when Voldemort attempted to kill him to have power over the elder wand. After working together for so long, though, she'd become used to his acerbic wit and enjoyed sparring with him when she could.

"And you could've sent for me sooner, but you did not. I gave you the schedule when we first planned the mission, if you need me before the dates listed, send me an owl." Her reply was terse, her shoulders aching from the weight of her responsibility.

"You look like you might explode, trouble in paradise?" He teased, pointing at the dark circles under her eyes. But her face fell and he realized that his words wounded her as they normally wouldn't have. Each time she came to get her report and bring supplies, he teased her, but she'd never looked so glum in their all their years working together, or as professor and pupil, though he did recall one particularly bad hex on her teeth.

"You don't really care, do you? So let me save us both the time and talk about the job you're doing and not my personal life." Seamus and Todd backed away from the room before Snape slammed his fist down, rattling the two tea cups and map. Sometimes he became protective of his boss, her issues often similar to his own.

"How do you expect me to react when I have been telling you for years to see a healer? The dreams? The hallucinations? Have they stopped or are you still pretending you aren't seeing Sirius Black or Bellatrix Lestrange walking about? Answer me." He shook her lightly, forcing her to make eye contact, his voice hardly but a whisper, yet resounding through the room. "You can live your life like this, in ruins waiting for the next terrible thing to happen, or you can do something about it. I spent my entire life protecting secrets, hiding behind my own prejudice, but you cannot live like this, please see someone and stop acting like a martyr every time we beg need of your services." His hands lingered seconds more after he spoke making her arm tingle slightly, then fell away, almost causing Hermione to fall backwards. She tried not to cry, tears were weakness and she never wanted Severus Snape to see her weak.

"They are still there and Remus and Tonks have joined them. I don't want to dream about it anymore, but, "She paused, pulling her hair up into a bun, thinking about the antivenin she gave Snape the night he should've died and the delicate but necessary pressure she'd applied on wounds until Madame Pomfrey could fix him up. "And I'm the one who saved you, so I can be a martyr for another moment if I so please." A faint smile moved across her face and they both laughed.

"You're never going to forget that, are you?" She nodded and they went through their notes, both feeling lighter somehow. His task was to root out old death eaters still active enough to cause trouble in magical law enforcement and in rare markets of trade. Even this many years following the final battle, it wasn't odd to find rare dark magic in shops in Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley, and of course Knockturn Alley, or even outside of Britain.

Hours later, Hermione and the guys went to a local pub for dinner and to catch up. It had been two months since their last check-in, but it always felt like only hours had past. The bartender served them whiskey and a platter of something that looked like chips and gravy, though none of them was quite sure. Hermione was glad, once inside,that she'd altered her robes because the scarlet definitely would've stood out in the dull browns she saw around her.

"Did you say Hugo is already at Hogwarts?" Seamus asked, gravy dripping from his chin.

"Oh yeah, he went in September, the nest is empty. They'll be home for Christmas hols next week, it seems like ages have past." Sipping her whiskey, she thought of Rose and Hugo, their red hair so like their Grandma Weasley's. She hoped Hugo had come out of his shell, so quiet and inquisitive, she worried he wouldn't have anyone like Ron or Harry to get his nose out of a book. Rose, on the other hand, was like Ron, outgoing and silly, she never worried if Rose had friends.

"My Cathleen is going next year, but I've no doubt she'll be a Gryffindor; she's too much like her mum. Briana, on the other hand, I see her in Ravenclaw. How me and Lavender produced such a smart kid, I'll never know." They chuckled, Hermione wondered how different their lives would be if Ron had ended up with Lavender instead. Sighing, she noticed Snape wasn't drinking and met his eye briefly, before trying one of the chips. Lost in thought, she didn't hear Todd ask about Ron's new position with the Aurors.

"Earth to Hermione!" Seamus splashed her with a bit of whiskey, finally getting her attention.

"I'm a hundred miles away tonight, sorry fellows." Folding her napkin, she went to the loo and splashed her face free of the whiskey. She had to snap out of it, it was one thing for Snape to know she was mental, but she didn't want other subordinates to see it so often. A light tapping roused her once more from her thoughts and she opened the door. It was Ronald Bilius Weasley, to her surprise.

"Ron! What are you doing here?"

"We were sent here for a raid tomorrow, thought I'd check in on my best girl and see how things are with Batty and friends." Ron wrapped her in a tight hug, twirling her a bit before making sure she landed on her feet.

"He's not a bat, you know." She replied, as he kissed her. In that moment, everything felt better, as it had once when they were young and optimistic. He continued to hug her waist as they moved back to the booth, squeezing in next to Seamus. "I found a straggler." She laughed, watching Ron devour her portion of the chips. Seamus and Ron immediately started in on quidditch, while Todd and Snape ran numbers for the morning. Hermione felt better, even if for a second, that she wasn't called upon to say anything, but before she could feel too comfortable, Ron swept her off her feet onto the tiny dance floor, his arm at her waist and his hand in hers, he whispered that he'd missed her in her ear. As they spun, swaying with the music, she caught Snape's gaze and wondered for a second if it was jealousy she saw in his obsidian orbs. Instead of losing herself in the thought, she closed her eyes and breathed in her husband, the smell of leather, musk, and eucalyptus from his desk plant. How could she fathom not being his wife?

That night, once at the hotel, Ron and Hermione made love for the first time in months and she forgot about her anger, sadness, and listlessness, even if momentarily. She swallowed a draught of dreamless sleep, a gift from Snape, and hoped it would all seem better in the morning, even if she'd lost the gift of optimism she'd once carried like a proud badge, she still hoped. But, without a doubt, imagining her future without Ron had become easier.