Author's Note: First let me thank everyone who had reviewed, alerted, or put this story on their favorites it means a lot to me.

I know this was suppose to be posted this morning, but as fate would have it I didn't have internet service most of the day. Hopefully they have it fixed now, *crosses fingers*

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Do I really need to say that I don't own them? I'm just playing with someone else's toys and do return them in the same shape I have found them (well that may not always be the case).

Hermione rushed around getting ready to go out to lunch with Harry, she hadn't seen him in months. To be fair though, she had been truly busy since she found that the more things she did to occupy her time the less she thought about Severus. If she worked so hard that she was so tired at night she didn't think about him when she went to bed.

She knew she tended to dwell on the bad, the times he made her feel like nothing. The truth was that there were times they talked, she even started to understand his humor. She had told him about the troll in her first year and how she had lied to protect Harry and Ron even though they were the ones that sent her crying to the bathroom in the first place.

She had tried to ask him about his years at Hogwarts but he refused to tell her anything about his childhood. She wondered if it was really such a bad experience or if he just didn't want her to know anything that she already didn't know about him.

She heard the clock in the sitting room strike on the half hour, swore to herself then made a mad dash for the door.

She entered the restaurant spotting Harry immediately, walking over she stopped at the table saying,

"Hi, been a long time."

Harry looked up then went to motion to the chair across from him when he did a double take,

"You cut your hair." He blurted out.

"So it is noticeable." She smiled at him, she knew it would be a shock to anyone who had not seen her in some time. She had went from long hair almost to her waist to a very short almost pixie style, cutting her hair also made it a lot darker than it had been now her hair was a dark reddish brown. She sat down as he chuckled.

"It was just a shock is all, I would have never expected you to do that."

"Good, I like doing the unexpected." She said as she sat. She could play and talk a good game anymore but the underlying fact that she still loved Severus was there.

"So how have you been?"

"Good, working a lot."

"I gather when it took a month to get a lunch date with you."

"It keeps me busy."

"You mean it keeps your mind off of someone."

Damn how she hated at times that Harry knew her so well, but then again she really didn't think she'd have it any other way.

"You know it's been four years."

"I know, what I don't understand is that you never told him. You know things might have worked out."

"No they wouldn't, and I really don't want to talk about it." She had a hard enough time still trying to get through her day.

"Okay, so how are the jobs going?"

"Keeps me busy, how are the kids doing?"

"They are great, James wants a boom that will fly higher but I'm not comfortable with that yet. Ginny thinks I'm just being over protective."

"She might be right, but then again at times I think a foot and a half off the ground is too high for a toddler."

"Yeah I know."

They ordered then talked about what the different Weasley's were up to, Harry was in the middle of telling her of a prank George pulled on Molly when he stopped in mid sentence.

~~^~~SSHG~~^~~

Severus had agreed to meet Draco at a muggle establishment for lunch, shaking his head for someone who did really care for muggles the young man sure enjoyed their food. They walked in together, Severus looked around spotting Potter almost immediately.

"My, my. I wonder if Mrs. Potter approves." Severus said causing Draco to draw his attention to where he was looking.

"Well I never pegged him for the mistress type." Draco said. "Come on, let's go meet the chit."

Harry's eyes widened which drew Hermione's attention causing her to turn to see what drew his attention to cause such a reaction. She looked over her shoulder then whipped her head around, that couldn't be who she thought she saw. Damn it all to hell, she left the wizarding world to never see him again.

"That's….. that's…. not…."

Harry stared nodding at her which made her start to stand, Harry grabbed her hand saying.

"Don't."

"Harry, I can't." She whispered back.

It was too late to bolt by then, Draco and Severus were standing next to the table Draco was saying.

"Well Potter, I see that…. Granger?"

"Hello Draco." Hermione said then looked up at Severus which was a mistake, everything she had tried to bury came rushing back with a vengeance but she tried to go forward anyway saying,

"Sever… I'm sorry." She said looking at Harry then back at Severus before bolting up and squeezing past Draco running out the door.

Severus turned to take a step then thought better of it, how could he go after her after all he did to hurt her.

"Go." Harry said looking up at him, when he looked back at the young man continued, "you will always be what she wants, who she'll always love. Always."

Severus got the impression that Potter was trying to tell him something, yet he stood still rooted to the spot he stood on.

"I can see you want to go after her, go." Harry said again.

Severus looked at Draco who nodded at him then turned rushing out the door to find her.

Draco sat down in the chair that Hermione vacated saying,

"So our part is done, the rest is up to them."

"Don't think were done by a long shot, now we are going to have to be sounding boards until they are past whatever it was that made them stay apart."

"And here I thought my work was done."

"I think it's just begun."

Hermione took off down the street in an attempt to put as much distance between herself and Severus as she could. She was going to kill Harry the next time she saw him, she might even drag out her trunk and send him a howler for this.

Then her mind registered the shock he had showed at seeing Malfoy and Snape in the restaurant. Maybe it was just fate that brought them to that place.

She still had to get home, her safe haven. She had left the wizarding world so she wouldn't run into him ever, it hurt to see him.

She made it several blocks, before she decided that he didn't follow her. Why would he, he was the one who wanted rid of her.

~~^~~SS/HG~~^~~

Severus ducked around the corner of a building out of sight, taking his wand he laid it on his hand saying,

"Point me Hermione Granger."

The wand laid there in his palm still, nothing. He tried several times but to no avail. Finally he turned going back to the restaurant where he left Draco to find him and Potter still sitting at the table talking. He had known that since the war they had become friends. Severus wondered if he could back out of lunch, he just wanted to be alone to relive the past several moments.

Severus sat down next to Draco before saying,

"Potter, why am I not able to be pointed to Hermione Granger?"

"Might be because she doesn't exist."

A thought that never occurred to Severus suddenly slammed into his mind, maybe she had moved on. Married someone….

"Potter." Malfoy said interrupting Severus's thoughts.

"She is still Hermione Snape."

Severus's head shot up as he caught the eye of the young man sitting across the table who explained.

"In the muggle world she would have to apply for her name to be changed back, she never wanted to."

"Why?" was the only thing Severus could think to ask.

"What she told me was that she kept it to remind her of the mistake she made," when Severus curled his lip Harry hurried to say, "She told me once when she was drunk that she left everything with you, but kept the name as the one thing she couldn't give up. The second one is the truth."

Severus was stunned into silence, he had no idea what to say. She kept his name, kept the name of someone who caused her so much pain. Why would she do that?

Potter stood saying,

"I have to get back to work, Malfoy. Severus, do anything to open that door again. Believe me she wants you to even if she doesn't know it."

Once Potter was gone Draco said,

"Well now that all of that is over with." He took the seat Potter had just left before saying, "You're not seriously considering going after that mud….."

Severus head shot up, with a voice deadly calm he said.

"If you finish that word I swear Malfoy I will cut your tongue out so you will not be tempted to use that word in my presence again."

Draco's mouth clamped shut, if he had any doubt about how Severus felt about Granger it was erased in a moment. He changed the subject,

"So what did you want to meet with me about."

Severus was glad for the change of subject,

"I want to know everything about Mr. Kaseload."

"Your wizengamot rep?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Do you really think that's any of your business? Let's just say I believe his actions were less than honorable."

"Since when have you worried about honor?"

"Since it cost me so much." Was all Severus said as the waitress came to take their order.

~~^~~SSHG~~^~~

Hermione made it home before collapsing on the sofa in tears, she had left the wizarding world to avoid him. She knew that she would always love him, it was just something that was. The weight on her chest was back with a vengeance making it hard to breathe.

Author's Note: Comments really do make me smile and brighten my day.

So they finally meet again, what do you think?

Also I wanted to let you know that I have a couple of Severus/Hermione videos on youtube, the link is in my profile.