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. Here is the last chapter for today.
I have another question for all my wonderful readers out that, in writing this story I'm coming to the part where there is forgiveness, love, kisses, you know the fluffy stuff. I keep going back and forth on how much to write when they get to the bedroom, one time I think 'just shut the door and then move on to the next day', then I think that the buildup deserves more than that, or then there is always the 'OMG it's porn' option. You all have been so great and encouraging that I would like to know which you would prefer to read, so let me know.
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 had laid in bed half the night thinking about the events of yesterday, no she had not forgiven everything nor forgotten. But after Severus left she had went to the study to watch what the web cam had recorded, what she saw shocked her to no end. She had watched as he paced, threw powder into the floo once, and cried twice. It was enough to convince her that maybe he held some kind of remorse for his treatment of her. Though she knew this was not going to be anywhere near an easy endeavor but she truly wanted to see where it went this time.
She went outside with her coffee at dawn mulching the plants in the back garden then in the front, she washed the windows on the ground floor first then climbed the ladder to the second floor thinking again how she would love to be able to replace the windows with tilt in kind so she wouldn't have to climb a ladder twice a year. Of course even that would not be able to take care of cleaning the gutters twice a year.
She had been so lost in working that she didn't hear the floo or Severus come through.
Severus called her name when he came out into her house but she didn't answer, he noticed the ladder against the house and went outside to investigate. The sight he encountered had his heart in his throat in a millisecond, on the ladder was Hermione cleaning the second story windows. He knew she was not fond of heights, hell he even knew somehow that she had only been on a broom three or four times.
"Hermione Jean Snape, what the hell do you think you're doing." He yelled from the ground then mentally kicked himself, 'good going Snape, scare her into falling.'
Hermione looked down at Severus before saying,
"What does it look like I'm doing?"
"Get off the ladder Hermione."
"Let me get this last window done then I'll be down."
Severus paced the whole time she was up there knowing that her fear of heights could cause problems and it worried him how many times she had done this since she moved back here.
He stood with his wand barley concealed as she made her way down the ladder when she was finally on the ground he said,
"Why were you up there?"
"Cleaning the windows, it's something that has to be done."
"But hire someone to do it."
"Yeah like I can afford that, it's fine."
"No it's not, you don't like heights."
"How do you know that?"
"What?"
"Think, how do you know that I don't like heights?"
Severus thought then a conversation they had the spring after they were married came to him.
"You told me."
"Yes, when was that?"
"When you said the windows here needed to be cleaned, and asked if I could help you with the job."
"Yes, and you never answered me so I've been doing them myself since then."
"I don't want you on a ladder like that, if you don't like heights you could have an accident."
"I've been doing this job for over ten years, now your going to worry about me?"
"Yes, where are your friends? I'm sure…."
"I've never thought to ask them."
"Of course not, are they done?" he asked hoping like hell that they were.
"The windows are, I can do the gutters later."
"No you wont."
"Don't you start teaching on Friday?" she asked.
He knew he was going to get nowhere, but he would hire someone if he had to. But he didn't want her on that ladder again.
Hermione went into the house shaking her head, Severus followed wondering how to keep her busy today and tomorrow so he could get someone to clean the gutters while she was at work.
"I'm going to grab a shower, you could make some coffee if you like."
She went up the stairs, when he heard her door shut he went for the phone book looking up what he needed.
By the time Hermione was finished he had someone coming on Tuesday to clean the gutters and leave a note that it was done.
By early afternoon they were finished with the complaint, leading Severus to ask.
"Would you be against spending the day with me tomorrow?"
"As in?" she asked as she washed the coffee cups.
"I don't know? I can have the complaint at the ministry by eight then we could go somewhere. Is there a sight you want to see?"
"Not really, though…." She trailed off thinking that he would never agree to it.
"What?"
"Never mind, it's silly."
"Hermione, tell me. You might be surprised at what I find enjoyable."
"I was just thinking that I would love to go to Blackpool before winter."
Severus was not expecting that but finally said,
"Okay, if that's what you want to do."
"No, lets do something that we both will enjoy." Though she had no idea what that would be.
When he didn't say anything she finally said,
"Would you be against a movie day?"
"Movie day?"
"Yeah, we could watch movies all day."
"I don't know."
"Well then how about this, come over after the ministry and we can just see what happens after that."
"Very well."
After they ate an early supper, that was ordered in Hermione finally asked a question that had been on her mind most of the day.
"Severus, what happens once they have the complaint?"
"They will judge the validity of the claim then if they believe there is sufficient cause they will call a hearing on the matter."
"What about the veritaserum?"
"They will inform us as soon as they make a decision on if there should be a hearing."
"I take it we will be brewing it at Hogwarts?"
"Yes."
"Then Kaseload, you and I will be required to take it to testify?"
"Yes."
"Do you have any other answer?"
"Yes." He smirked at her.
"Fine."
They drank coffee sitting at the kitchen table for a little while longer before he finally said,
"I should be going."
"Okay." Hermione said as she stood to wash her mug.
Severus sensed that something was wrong, he stood going to the sink with his mug. When he placed it in the sink he put his arm around her shoulders before asking,
"What's on your mind?"
"Nothing, I don't want to argue with you today."
"I won't argue." He said.
"No but if I start I'll be yelling before I'm done."
"What am I missing?"
"Nothing Severus, it's fine."
He looked down at her, wishing she would voice what was troubling her. Then out of the blue it hit him, he took her hand leading her into the living room he sat in the chair there pulling her down onto his lap before saying,
"It's okay Hermione to be sad about it, don't keep it to yourself. It will eat at you until nothing will get through to you."
Tears burned her eyes, she couldn't believe he remembered. She almost forgot today, she always tried to keep herself so busy that she wouldn't remember then she always felt bad that she forgot.
"I always try to stay busy."
He didn't say anything, just rubbed his hand up and down her back as she told him how she dealt with the last miscarriage she had, it was the one she had the most pain with and had carried the longest. She explained to him in detail how much it hurt and how the healer told her the baby was a girl. He never knew that. When she sobbed he pulled her to him saying quietly,
"I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you, I should have been. You shouldn't have been alone."
"I wasn't alone." She said.
"Good, see I knew your friends would be there for you."
"No, Ginny didn't give Harry the message until the next day and Neville wasn't at home to get the message until the next day."
"Then who are you talking about?"
"Who I would have thought to have been the most unlikely person."
She started crying again, when she calmed he asked.
"Who was that?"
"Draco, he came in not long after you left. I couldn't stop crying and he crawled into bed with me holding me. Later he told me how upset Astoria had been when she miscarried and he couldn't imagine how much more it would have been if it had been further along."
When Severus didn't say anything she asked,
"Should I have not told you?"
"No, it's just something Draco told me now makes sense."
"I see."
She started crying again, he wrapped his arms around her wondering how many times she cried like this alone over what was lost.
Author's Note: Comments really do make me smile and brighten my day.
Also I wanted to let you know that I have a couple of Severus/Hermione videos on youtube, the link is in my profile.