AN: Thank you to everyone for your reviews, it was especially nice when I checked my emails less than 12 hours after posting the chapter to find 13 reviews in my inbox, didn't stop smiling all day... yes, I am a review junky...

So, this is basically another section of chapter eleven, even though I've called it chapter twelve for continuity purposes, and chapter 13 is the end of the longest chapter I've ever written. It's going to be a fair old stretch in the time of things, so it might seem a bit jumpy... I also seem to have developed Potter-Block, so if Harry is a bit ooc, that's why...

Disclaimer: if I owned Harry Potter I wouldn't need to write fan fiction to bring Snape back from the dead...

Chapter Twelve

"Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no, you can't wear that. Severus, you look like you're going to a funeral. In fact you look almost exactly like you're about to start teaching us potions again. That's why you're dressed like that isn't it? You promised me you'd be nice. That includes not deliberately dressing to intimidate Go change. You have five minutes." Severus crossed his arms over his chest but did not move. Hermione drew her wand. "Fine. I'll change it, let's see, I'm thinking jeans," flick, "white shirt," flick, swish, "and a dark green pullover to keep you warm." A final wave of her wand and Hermione looked over the freshly transformed outfit, "yes. Lovely."

Severus looked down, grimaced in disgust and drew his own wand. Unfortunately before he managed to alter anything Hermione spoke again, "you change one single strand of that outfit Severus and I'll cast a charm to turn it pink and flowery. Believe me; I learned plenty of those whilst sharing a dorm with Lavender Brown."

"Then I'll just change it back, you're not the only one with a wand you know."

"yes, but you will have annoyed me so my aim will probably be a bit off, I mean it would be a terrible accident if it hit, for example, your hair, wouldn't it? I mean, I'm sure I don't have to tell you that charms that are meant for fabric usually turn permanent when they hit more natural fibre like hair."

Scowling, Severus replaced his wand. "Fine, but in that case, you have to come to dinner with some of my friends." Hermione thought about it for just a fraction too long, "I'm not that much of a social misfit you know."

"I didn't say anything; I didn't even think it, I swear." The look on Severus' face told her he didn't believe her. "Of course I'll come meet your friends, seems a fair trade for you spending a whole evening with Harry. Speaking of which, we're going to be late if we don't go, like, now." Severus sighed resignedly as Hermione hurried off to find her bag and get the chocolate cake she had made out of the fridge.

Less than five minutes later they were stood outside Grimmould Place. Hermione took a deep breathe and started towards the door, pausing after a couple of steps when she realised that Severus hadn't moved. He was just looking at the house before them. Surely he wasn't nervous about seeing Harry and Ginny. Then she realised, he probably hadn't set foot within 5 miles of this place since his spying days. "You okay?" she asked gently, going back and taking his hand.

It took a deep breath and the visible squaring of his shoulders, but Severus managed his best sneer, "of course I am. Come on, let's get this over with." He stalked off to the door and knocked with grim determination, but Hermione noticed that he didn't let go of her hand.

The door was flung open almost as soon as Severus' hand touched it and they were both pulled inside by a very excited Ginny "you made it! Oh, I'm so glad you're here, Hermione, Prof, err, Mr... Severus." She said boldly.

Severus' lips thinned when Hermione squeezed his hand lightly he only said, "thank you, Mrs Potter."

"Oh! Mrs Potter indeed, please, call me Ginny. We're practically family now. Harry's just in the library with Lily; she loves books almost as much as Hermione here." Ginny turned towards the stairs, "HARRY! THEY'RE HERE!"

A door creaked upstairs and the sounds of feet on stairs could be heard. "Hermione!" harry hugged her as soon as he reached her, his daughter also in his arms. He stepped back, looked Severus over carefully and then held out his hand, "Severus."

Severus reluctantly took Harry's hand without saying a word, as soon as it was released another, much smaller, hand was extended towards him, "Se'rus" the young girl said in a good imitation of her fathers cold yet polite tone.

"There's a V in there, sweetie," Hermione giggled, "it's Se-ver-us, but I'm sure you can call him Uncle Sev." She turned to her husband with a cheeky smile, "this is Lily, she's two."

"And a half." Lily added proudly.

To everyone's surprise Severus shook Lily's hand solemnly. "Two and a half, well Miss Lily, as you're such a big girl, perhaps you could help me with something?"

Lily's eyes sparkled as she almost jumped down form her father's arms. She looked expectantly at Severus who knelt down to her level, put his hand in his pocket and produced a tiny package. "do you think you could look after this for me?" she nodded eagerly and took it into her hand.

"What is it?" She asked, examining it from every angle she could.

"ah, it's a surprise. You mustn't try to open it until your Daddy has un-shrunk it, okay?" she nodded again, "and you mustn't let Daddy un shrink it until after myself and Hermione has gone home, do you understand?" she nodded again and slipped it into her own pocket. She patted the small lump protectively.

"I won't, Uncle Sev. Do you like books?" Without waiting for his answer she grabbed his hand and started trying to pull him off towards to front room.

Hermione and Ginny laughed together as Harry looked after his daughter and her new fund friend with a look of pure confusion on his face. "You're not going to have any problems with him when your little one's born 'Mione," Ginny told her, "I'm sure he'd never admit it, but he's a natural. But do tell me, how on earth did you manage to get him to wear blue jeans?"

-#X#-

Things were going unexpectedly well, in Hermione's opinion. They had spent the fist half hour of so in the front room, chatting amongst themselves while Severus read in a hushed voice to Lily, He hadn't even objected when she had moved on from her 'My First Wizarding Encyclopaedia' to such muggle story classics as 'Sleeping Beauty' and 'Beauty and the Beast'.

Dinner passed pleasantly enough with Ginny managing to draw Severus into a conversation about the best ways to store various basic health related potions for long periods, so that she could improve her first aid kit. Harry and Hermione talked a lot about Ginny's pregnancy and the birth from Harry's point of view, Hermione making mental notes on all the ways to keep Severus feeling involved and helpful. Hermione couldn't help but also notice that both Severus and Harry seemed to be drinking their wine quite quickly, but she wrote it of as nerves on Harry's part and discomfort on Severus'.

It was during coffee and chocolate cake, back in the front room that things began to take a turn for the worse. Lily was half asleep nestled on the sofa between Ginny and Harry, her head against Harry's arm. Hermione had seated herself, after a quick nudge from Ginny, on the second, slightly smaller sofa, beside Severus, close enough that if he wanted to put his arm down it would have to either go on her leg or around her shoulders.

"So, are you going to find out the gender of the baby? They do that at muggle scans, right?" Ginny asked, breaking the silence that had fallen, just as it began to shift out of companionable and into uncomfortable.

"I'd like to know." Hermione replied.

"It's traditionally in wizarding families to find out at the birth, usually something the parents do together." Severus said softly.

"Yeah, but if Hermione wants to know, you're not going to stop her." Harry said suddenly, a little more heatedly than Hermione (and Ginny, judging by the small pinch she gave her husbands arm0 thought necessary.

"It would appear to be something we need to discuss further. In private." Severus responded pointedly, putting down his cup.

"I'm just saying, Hermione is from a muggle family, she doesn't necessarily want to stick to all the wizarding traditions. If she wants to find out the gender of the baby, you shouldn't stand in her way."

"I have no intention of standing in anybody's way, I merely commented that it is a tradition, that doesn't mean I agree with it."

"Why bring it up if you didn't?"

"Harry, I don't think we need to have this discussion here."

"It's alright, Hermione, clearly Mr Potter is still of the opinion that everything in the world has to do with him, and therefore he must know best."

"Severus, I don't think –"

"You would see it like that, wouldn't you? I'm just looking out for my best friend." Harry overrode Hermione

"And I'm just an old Slytherin, trying to bend the Gryffindor princess to my will, is that it?" Both men were on their feet now, facing each other, the air around them crackling.

"Let's just say I'd feel better about this whole situation if you hadn't turned tail and run at the first mention of kids. You must have known this would happen, it was part of the reasoning behind the Unity Law. So once again, no-one is quite sure exactly what you plan to do, or where your loyalties really lie."

Harry James Potter! That is enough." Ginny stood up, Lily now in her arms. "If you can't be civil to our guests, I think you might need to excuse yourself from this room and take your daughter to bed. Now." Ginny's knack for imitating her mother was certainly impressive. Harry glowered once more in Severus' direction, before taking his daughter and leaving the room.

"I think it's time we left." Severus said stiffly.

"I'm sorry, he just get's a bit... protective, and then he gets annoyed and he stops thinking." Ginny Said, "You don't have to go, once he's calmed down – "

"No, really, it's getting late, It would probably be best if we just go. I thank you for your hospitality all the same." Hermione stood beside her husband and nodded her agreement.

"I'm sorry Ginny, Maybe it was a little too soon for us to come over anyway. Clearly Harry needs a little more time to get over the fact that this law has done exactly what it was meant to do."

"Okay, I understand." Ginny sighed, "Just don't let it put you off coming back, yeah? I want regular updates on this little one." She placed her hand against Hermione's belly with a smile.

Hermione and Severus didn't speak as they walked across the road to apparition point, nor did they speak as they walked down Spinners End. It was only when they were inside and Severus had finished warding the door that Hermione said softly. "I just want you to know that I don't think the same way as Harry does, I understand why you left, and I don't blame you in the slightest. I would probably have done the same if I was in your situation. He'll realise that too when he's calmed down. The important thing to me is that you came back."

"I don't give a damn about what Potter thinks. It took me almost two decades to realise it, but at the end of the day, no matter how much he reminds me of both his parents, he isn't them, he's just a silly little boy I once tried to teach." Severus went through into the kitchen. Hermione heard the sound of the kettle boiling as she removed her coat. She was glad that Severus was still in the kitchen when Ginny's owl tapped on the window. She went over and let it in, once she had taken the note, it immediately flew off.

Hermione,

Harry's just opened that box. Please tell Severus thank you, just in case my husband has lost all of his manners, though I think he will right to thank him himself (and hopefully apologise for his behaviour.)

Speak to you soon,

Ginny

Hermione frowned a little, she had no idea what had been in the box, and she only now remembered the box Severus had brought up from his lab on the day he returned. Severus raised an eyebrow in question as he handed her a mug of tea, she smiled as she took it. He always seemed to know without asking when she needed a good cuppa.

"What was in that box?" she asked him, a little wary, as he could still occasionally be a bit prickly with questions.

"Just a few old photographs." He shrugged and sat down in his favourite reading chair.

"Photographs?"

"Yes." Clearly he didn't want to answer the question, unfortunately that made Hermione's curiosity burn even more.

"Photographs of what?"

"Lily." Photographs of Lily. Hermione really wanted to ask why Serverus had given harry a box of Photographs of Lily, but felt that was probably a conversation for another day. Instead she picked up her book from the table beside her chair and started reading. Severus did the same and they spent a few hours just sitting together.

"Minerva has expressed a wish for us to arrive at Hogwarts a week before the Yule Ball. She says she has a few things she needs to discuss with me, and no doubt she also wishes to fuss over you as she does with every pregnant woman she meets." Severus said slowly from his book.

"That means we've got to be there at the end of next week. I haven't got my dress or anything."

"Calm down. There will be plenty of opportunity for such things during our week long stay. In fact, it seems to me to be the perfect excuse for you and Minerva to go and talk about what ever it is that women talk about on such trips."

When they retired to bed that evening, Hermione began to feel the first stirs of excitement about the ball. Apart from their brief wedding reception, she had not really been to anything like this with Severus, and she was definitely looking forward to it.

When they woke up the next morning, a thick scroll of parchment waited for Severus, containing a thorough and clearly heartfelt letter of apology for his behaviour along with a thank you for the photographs, which he and little Lily were going to put into albums that evening. Severus said nothing further on the subject, but Hermione suspected that he was secretly glad that lily, probably more than Harry, would be getting enjoyment from the photographs of her grandmother and namesake

AN: this was the light section, even though it wasn't overly fluffy, it's just really here to show the ways in which our lovely pair's relationship is beginning to develop... the next chapter WILL be up no later than in about two weeks time... Promise... Hugs and cookies, ForeverPandora.