Epilogue

"Severus! It's here! Come quickly!" I called through our ten year old house. I heard slow footsteps on the stairs, and I growled with frustration.

"You aren't even fifty yet you miserable man, walk faster!" I sighed in fury when the pace never increased.

"I believe that I am allowed to walk at whatever pace I wish, Hermione. Now give it here." He said sharply, reaching for the envelope in my hands. I twirled out of his reached and ripped open the letter.

"Hermione! We agreed!" Severus protested. I just smirked as my eyes scanned down the letter, so much like the one I received when I was eleven years old.

"KAREN!" I shouted and glared at my husband. Karen obviously knew to run when I called.

"Mum? What is it...is that…? Let me see!" She exclaimed and I handed the letter to her, watching her brown eyes light up.

"September is two months away though!" She pouted and looked up at Severus. What did she think he could do about it!

"That's another two months to study in preparation for the new school, Karen. Think about it. You'll be smarter than anyone there!"

Of course that was what she'd been waiting for. I summoned the letter and scanned the book list attached.

"Mum? Will I be able to that? Use magic without a wand? You never use yours anymore. Neither does dad!"

"Honey I've told you that we were named a soul bond couple. That makes it possible to do that. You could do it too, but not like we can."

Karen sighed, she'd heard this so many times. Her hair had turned out to be more like her biological father's than mine, but everything else was a replica of me. Karen didn't know Severus wasn't her father. I wasn't ever going to tell her myself. To many painful memories and besides Severus was the greatest father in the world.

Severus put an arm around my waist as we watched Karen run to her library to start studying.

"She'll figure it out one day." He said in that velvety voice.

"Of course, but she'll be smart enough to know it doesn't matter. Not really."

He stayed silent. I waited for his question. The one he asked every week no matter the answer I gave.

"She'll be going out of business soon, you know. No one has the problem and you're running out of time."

"I am not going. It will be in the paper for sure and then Karen will know and ask too many questions. I should have done it before we moved here, but I wasn't ready. I'm still not. I'm sorry Severus."

The many scars I received during the battle still marred my skin, even covered with glamours. I could still feel them, but no one could see them.

"Take the glamours off. Now."

I looked over at him, angry. How dare he tell me-

"Hermione!"

I took them off, feeling the ripple of the magic releasing. In the next second he was scanning my body, though he had it memorized already.

He pressed a hard kiss to my lips. He was angry with me. I could tell, but he still loved me. Embracing that love was the best thing I ever did.

"MUM!"

I tried to pull away from Severus, to restore the glamours, but he held fast and I couldn't concentrate enough to replace them before Karen was in the room holding an open book.

It fell from her hands when she saw us. He didn't usually behave like this in front of her, but Severus had a point to prove.

"Mum…what happened!"

Severus pulled away from me and took a seat on the other side of the room. Coward. I was wearing my knee length night gown. It was a light blue color and had a low dip in the back and left me arm completely bare. It wasn't my fault it was ninety degrees out.

"Karen….it's nothing." I tried but she came closer that touched one of the scars on my forearm. It was just a deep jagged cut, but she still looked at me in disbelief.

"Who hurt you, Mum?" She was worried about me. I felt my eyes water.

"Karen, don't worry about it. It was a long long time ago. Before you were born." I tried to explain, but she circled around me, a gasp escaping her mouth when she saw my back. I glared over at my dear husband.

"Mum this happened in the war? You were hurt? Who did this?"

"Yes, Hermione who did this?" Severus's voice asked.

"I'll tell you who did this when you're older Karen. I'm fine, it's just scars. They don't even hurt." That was a lie. They hurt constantly, when the weather changed and sometimes just randomly.

Karen gave me a big hug and raced back to her room, and I turned to my husband.

"Thank you." I knew why he had done it. Because I wouldn't have been able to.

"You're welcome." I wrapped my arms around his waist and rested my head on his chest. He really could do anything.

A/N: Well, here it is. It is very short. shorter than I thought it would be. I've waited to see what else I could do, but I think my muse is just finished with it. So instead of fighting it I just let it end in this epilogue. I hope everyone has enjoyed this story. I'll see some of you when my newest story is posted. I'm out of school for the summer already so I'll have plenty of time. Until next time. - Mayajane