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.

Enjoy!

Hermione didn't return to Hogwarts with Severus, which he didn't like and told her so. She couldn't see the need for her to return when she was going to have to come back home the next day to go dress shopping with Luna Tuesday.

Severus kissed her breathless Sunday evening before he left to return to the school which sent Hermione in a night of erotic dreams that frustrated her the next day. She had decided that she would not have sex with Severus until the slate was clean and there were still a few things which needed to see the light of day, at least for her.

When she came down Monday morning she saw a rose sitting on the table, it was a magic rose charmed into existence. She knew Severus was not a man who would ever show at her door with flowers and fancy dinners or grand declarations of love. It made this small red rose mean even more to her.

She stared at it while she sat at the table drinking her coffee, when she saw Morgan outside the window she let the owl in saying,

"He just left yesterday, what could he possibly need to say?" she took the note unfolding it.

Hermione,

I miss you.

Severus

Hermione smiled, it was the most unexpected thing she ever thought he would do.

~~^~~SSHG~~^~~

Severus wanted Hermione with him, he wanted her here. Not living in her parents' house, he wanted her in this castle, in his rooms, and in his room. Holding her while they slept was calming, it was the first night in memory that he didn't have any dreams. Nothing, he woke the next morning feeling rested for the first time in so very long.

Then to come to Hogwarts for the week he had a terrible night, plagued by nightmares of rogue death eaters and crazy men. He knew he couldn't force Hermione to come here to stay, unless….. He could give her the apprenticeship she wants, he would have her in his bed every night.

The one thing he didn't understand was he wanted her in his bed, to hold. He still didn't want to bed her, it was more that he felt she wasn't ready for that step yet more than him not desiring to make her his again.

He was waiting for the clean slate, he knew he was. He wanted nothing from the past carried over to the present. Of course he also wanted it to be more than just sex, and that was all he knew. All he had ever seen, at revels they only had sex. His father was nothing but about sex when he talked about it, he could let Hermione tell him but it was downright embarrassing to be his age and not know how to make love to a woman.

In a sudden inspiration he went to his desk and started writing, the more he thought about the idea the more he found that he didn't have a problem with it.

~~^~~SSHG~~^~~

Hermione felt like she had tried on a thousand dress by the time they stopped for a late lunch early supper, Luna sat across from her saying.

"I liked that one with the open mid drift."

"I don't think so, what about the pale blue one with the sleeves?"

"I just didn't think it did anything for you."

"So we will be back at it tomorrow?"

"More than likely, you mean we haven't went to all the stores yet?"

"No, not by a long shot."

"So how are things going with you and Severus?" Luna asked.

"As well as they can, there are still a few things that need to be worked out but we are getting there."

"That is good, I'm happy for you."

"You know what, I'm happy for me too."

"That's good, you deserve it. I'm just glad that you found one another again without the anger this time."

"Yeah, but I had to forgive many things and let them go." That statement led her to think what he had forgiven, he told her once that she could have tried harder to talk to him if she really wanted to. But he never told her if he forgave her for not doing so, or when she apologized for what she said about him tearing her down. Now that she thought about it she never heard him forgive her for anything.

"Luna, can you apperate us to Hogwarts when we are finished with supper?"

"Well, I suppose. I could surprise Neville, I assume you want to surprise Severus."

"Yes." Only not in the way Luna thought, "Maybe we can check the dress shops in Hogsmead in the morning. Make the trip worth it."

"That sounds like a great idea."

~~^~~SSHG~~^~~

Severus finally was able to put the last things on the paper he started last night, the more he thought about it the more he was really coming around to the idea. It would be a way for her to have the apprenticeship she wanted without having to give up all the power to him.

A knock on his door drew his attention, when he opened it he was surprised to find Hermione standing on the other side.

"Hermione."

"Severus, we need to talk." She said walking into the room.

"Sure, how did…."

"Luna, she went to see Neville so I might be here all night."

He walked toward her saying,

"You won't hear me complain."

Hermione backed up away from him making him stop asking,

"What's wrong?"

"I was thinking,"

Severus didn't say anything but thought 'oh crap.'

"About what?"

"Us, this." She pointed between them, "I have been forgiving a lot, letting a lot of it just go because I want to heal and for us to move forward. Every time though I ask for yours you pass it off as if you deserve some of the things I have said or how I treated you. Do I not deserve your forgiveness?"

"What? You've done nothing compared to what I have done to you."

"You never hit me, yet I punched you."

"You were…."

"Angry? Yes I was though now for the life of me I can't remember why though I do remember telling you I was sorry but you passed it off like it was nothing. I. Punched. You. What makes me any different than your…. Tobis? I was angry and struck out at you."

"Hermione, your nothing like him. I probably deserve more than that from you…."

"See that's what I mean, you require my forgiveness of the past to move forward. Do you not think that I also need your forgiveness to heal?"

"I never thought about it, I wronged you so terribly that the few little things you've said or done really amounts to nothing. But if have to hear me say it, I forgive you for punching me."

"I don't want you to just say it, but mean it. I do honestly forgive you when it comes to that."

"I don't deserve…."

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, yes you do. We all do. By what you just said it's not going to matter how much I forgive you'll never really accept it, nor will you ever truly forgive me."

When he didn't say anything she said,

"I know you have remorse for what you did, I've seen it. That tells me that you truly want to be forgiven for your actions, but you also have to accept being forgiven."

Severus sat down in the chair he was closest too, how did he miss that? Yes he did carry a ton of remorse for what he had done not only to her but other actions he took. Yes he truly wanted to be forgiven for all of them that he asked forgiveness for. Yes, she was right he had no idea how to accept he had been forgiven for them.

He looked up at her, she wanted him to get this he saw that. She truly wanted him to understand this so she could be forgiven.

"I don't know how." He finally said.

She went to kneel in front of the chair when he stopped her saying,

"No, I don't ever want you to kneel in front of me." He pulled her onto his lap.

"You accept that I have forgiven you and let it go. Take my cooking for example, you have asked for my forgiveness for what you said about it. I gave it and let it go, you notice that I started cooking again for you. I wouldn't be able to if I hadn't let it go. You have to accept that I have forgiven what you said about it, then just let it go."

"Hermione, that is simple. I knew that when you cooked for me that I had been forgiven me for the comments about your cooking I made. It's harder when it comes to…. Remarks about sex that I made or comparing you to…. Well you know."

"Yes, I do know. Some things are harder to forgive than others, You just have to trust that when I say I have forgiven you that I have."

"Do you want an….."

"No I don't need an answer, I just want you to think about it. I truly want to be forgiven for things I said and did so we can be us."

"Very well I will think about it."

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.