Chapter Six: A Weekend Away

It was Easter break, and Harry had decided that he wanted a break from Hogwarts. After a year of freedom to go where he wanted while Horcrux hunting, the castle boundaries almost seemed cramped. He and Severus were still debating on if Severus would retire at the end of the year, or if they'd go on living at Hogwarts. Harry wasn't sure if he could stay at Hogwarts and be happy about it. Mind, he loved Hogwarts, it was home, but he kind of had the urge to "move out" so to speak, to get his own place.

Harry had gotten in contact with a builder from Romania who specialized in rebuilding destroyed manors - which as it happened, Harry happened to have one of. Potter Manor was still in ruins from the night his parents died, and he fully intended on rebuilding it. He was going to spend the weekend with the builder, a wizard named Jarvis Aphin. Severus was not overly thrilled he'd be gone for the holiday, but had consented nonetheless.

Hermione Granger made her way down the halls toward Severus Snape's quarters. Harry was gone for the weekend, and as Ron had been asked to go home for the holiday to spend some time with his family, Hermione had worked it out with Severus that they could spend some time together, working on her senior Potions thesis. Hermione didn't really think she needed his help, but she had jumped on the chance to have some time with Severus. She's always admired him, and wanted to get to know him better. Especially since he was now married to her best friend.

In response to her knock, Severus answered his door and beckoned her inside. "Miss Granger," he said in acknowledgment, closing the door behind her.

"You really should call me Hermione," she said quietly.

"And why is that?" Severus asked.

Because I want to be your friend, she thought. "You are married to my best friend," was what she verbalized though.

"Very well...Hermione," Severus replied. "But you may still not call me 'Sev'."

"Is Severus alright?" Hermione inquired. "Outside of classes?"

"Outside of classes," Severus consented after a pause.

There was an awkward silence for several moments, until Severus spoke again. "So what is your thesis topic?"

Hermione pulled a notebook out of her bag, and took a seat in an arm chair by the fire. "I'm doing it on theories on what phoenix tears could be used for in potions."

Severus took an armchair opposite her, and Hermione could tell by the glint in his eye that she had his interest piqued. "Go on," he said.

"I realized that there are very few potions that call for phoenix tears, most likely because of how difficult it is to obtain them, but because the tears do have such good healing properties, I figured that there had to be other uses. I obviously can't test any of my ideas, because I don't have a stock of phoenix tears laying around, but you said in class at the beginning of the year that a good thesis was more about proving that your ability to come up with new ideas than actually proving your theory correct. I had been reading Dumbledore's papers on the uses of dragon blood that week and things just kind of spiraled from there," Hermione continued.

"End quote?" Severus said, and Hermione was surprised to hear not criticism, but rather jest in his tone.

Hermione smiled. "I can't help it sir. I don't see why I should reword what someone has already clearly explained."

To Hermione's astonishment, Severus actually chuckled. "You are a truly singular woman, Hermione. But that brain of yours aught to be put under a microscope."

It was late, and Hermione had just left his quarters. Severus has spend the last six hours talking with the girl about her thesis project, and potions in general, and they had even touched on his relationship with Harry. Hermione had been astoundingly easy to talk to, and Severus found himself mentally commending his bond-mate in his choice of friends.

Severus knew that in the course of his marriage to Harry, he'd have to be more social than he had been in years, and that the social circle would include a group of people who had rather recently been his students. And Merlin help him, mostly Gryffindors. After tonight, Severus found that he didn't mind so much, especially if that social circle included Hermione Granger on a regular enough basis.

She actually reminded him a good deal of a lover of his from years ago. Severus had met Emily the summer between his fifth and sixth years. At that point, Lily had pretty much pushed him away, and he was nursing a broken heart when he'd first seen her at the bus stop. Emily was a year older than him, and she attended school in America. She was visiting Europe for the summer to get more culturally exposed. It had been a summer fling so much as the romance was concerned, though they had continued writing letters over the next two years, up until Severus had taken the Dark Mark. He had discontinued contact with her at that point, for her protection. Like Hermione, there was no way in hell that Emily would have ever supported the Dark Lord's campaign.

Severus certainly didn't regret his bonding with Harry. Merlin save him, he was in love with the boy. But regardless, he found himself yearning to find out what had become of Emily. Despite the late hour, he got out a quill and parchment, and began to write.

Emily,

I know it's been years since we last corusponded, and I'm sure that you've wondered over the years why I pushed you away. I wish I could say it was for some noble reason, but the truth is rather selfish. I was branded with the Dark Mark, and joined the Dark Lord's ranks as a Death Eater. I broke off contact as a means to protect you, because I feared what Voldemort would do to someone I cared for. If I'm totally honest, I just didn't want you to know what I'd become. I knew you'd never appove. I'm sorry.

Very long story short, I ended up becoming a spy for the light, a spy for Dumbledore. As if my life wasn't already in enough danger working for Voldemort, try being a spy against him. I very nearly did loose my life in the final battle, but for some reason I'm still trying to figure out, Harry Potter deemed fit to save me. I should have died that night, but thanks to Harry's quick thinking and the innovation of Portkeys, I survived.

I've recently gotten to know one of Harry's friends, a girl by the name of Hermione, and I can't begin to tell you how much she reminds me of you. She's smart, witty, unfailingly kind, and even looks a bit like you. I've known the girl since she was elven - I teach at Hogwarts now - and I'm astounded I've never realized the commonality until now. I suppose that is partly due to the open mind that Harry keeps claiming I've aquired recently. I've known both Harry and Hermione since they were eleven, I actually went to school with Harry's parents, Hermione is Muggleborn, but they are both adults now and I find myself thinking higher of both of them each day.

I'm not really sure why I'm writing you this letter, Emily. I guess I just wanted to know how life turned out for you. Did you ever marry, have children? What did you think when I cut you off? What do you do for a living? Have you forgiven me for what I did?

I think that's enough said. I hope to hear from you.

Yours Truly,

Severus Snape

Harry smiled as he sat town at the table at the Inn Sunday evening to look over the papers that Jarvis Alphin had given him that afternoon. Yesterday, they had made a trip to Gringots and got the blueprints to the original Potter Manor out of Harry's parents' vault, and then set to work deciding what to save, and what to redesign and add on. This morning, they had drawn up a rough sketch of what they'd decided, and gone to see various material suppliers, builders, as well as a legal adviser back at Gringots.

Harry wasn't normally into spending large amounts of money on one project, but this was the exception. His parents would have wanted Potter rebuilt, so Harry decided that doing so would be his first use of his parents' money. Up until now, he'd only touched his vault - the one James and Lily Potter has set up for his education soon after his birth.

Harry would be returning to Hogwarts in a few hours. He found that he had missed Severus in the two days he had been done. Of course he had, Severus was his bond-mate. Harry supposed that the only reason he'd never missed Severus before was because he always around him, with the exception of summers. That's the way it had been for the last nearly eight years. Now that they were together, the absence just seemed that more profound. If Harry was honest with himself, even the evil greasy git Severus Snape of his early years at Hogwarts had quite often crossed his mind during the summers. Harry had never given a rat's arse what anyone in the wizarding world, and in the muggle world, had ever thought of him, but from the time he set foot in the castle all those years ago, it had always bothered him that Severus Snape had seemed to dislike him. Now he knew why.