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 and keeps me writing.

I meant to post this earlier but got to writing and lost all track of time.

Enjoy!

FYI: I'm still in search of a beta so if anyone cares to volunteer or has any suggestions I'd be forever grateful.

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).

Severus looked at her finally asking,

"What do you hate?" hoping that it was not him, but still not entirely sure that she wouldn't still give up on him one day and walk.

"That you feel this way, that I wished you to feel this way. Five years ago I would have given anything for you to feel this pain, when you walked out of that room I would have given up anything for you to hurt like I did. But now just like before I don't feel that sense of triumph that I always thought would come when you finally hurt like I did."

Severus took a deep breath trying to calm his emotions before saying,

"Why do you think it would give you a sense of triumph?"

"Because it did you."

He took her hand before he said something that he was sure was going to regret, finally he said.

"I never felt that way, just because I was angry and wanted to make your life hell didn't mean that I wanted to cause you so much hurt and pain. Though I know now that doing one did the other."

"Yes it did," she glanced over at the clock. "You have class in half an hour."

"Nothing I ever do is going to make up for it, is it?" he asked.

"I don't know Severus, but I am still here."

"Yes you are." He said leaning over kissing her forehead before going to change for the day.

~~^~~SSHG~~^~~

Hermione spent the majority of her time researching the potion she wanted to develop, when she wasn't going home to work at the café. Today was her last day there, tomorrow was Christmas Eve and Neville and Luna's wedding.

She was starting to become anxious at seeing the all of the Weasley's again, well it wasn't really all of them. Charlie, Bill and Percy wouldn't be there. But Ron would and he was the one who worried her the most, at best he was unpredictable. Of course Harry and Draco would be there also, as would Severus. Hermione didn't even want to know how Neville had talked the potion master into attending but was forever grateful that he had.

Severus was sitting at the end of the counter with a cup of coffee and an open book, he looked up at her when he felt her eyes on him she smiled before turning back to the conversation she was having with the three older men at the other end of the bar.

"So girly, you met your knight in shining armor?" Simon asked. Him and Nick were American and were always coming up with terms for her that she had never heard before. To him she said.

"No, more like my prince." She smiled at him before saying, "I'm going back to school."

"Good for you, I always thought you were too smart for this place." John said.

"Maybe I am, but it was what I needed for a time."

"There is nothing wrong with that, don't let them tell you any different." Nick said.

"I'm not, I'll be right back." Hermione walked over to Severus asking,

"Need more coffee?"

"Yes, thank you."

"You're welcome, so only an hour left."

"Yes, but you can always come back here as much as you want." Severus finally figured out this was sort of a family for her, and the three men at the end of the bar had told him together and separate that if he did anything to their Hermione there would be hell to pay. He smiled at the memory, they cared for her and only wanted her happy.

"I intend to." She went back over talking to the girl that was taking her place. Severus was sure that she was informing the girl to give the twins that in his opinion would put the Weasley's to shame, extra whip cream once she was gone.

Severus had been here enough to notice that the same people were usually here every time, once in a while someone no one knew would come in but in the past three weeks that had only happen twice and someone else waited on them, 'just in case' Robert said gaining Severus' respect.

When the door opened Severus looked up then back down at his book but kept watch at what was going on, the man was not a regular. Hermione moved to behind the counter letting Grace go to wait on him.

When the man stopped, Severus hand went to his wand. He was leaving nothing to chance, not now.

The man jumped the counter before Severus could fully pull his wand out, grabbing Hermione by the throat and using her as a shield. The dark haired man looked at Severus saying,

"Don't even think about it old boy." Severus pulled his hand back, out of the corner of his eye he saw movement but looked back saying,

"Do you really think you're going to get away with this?"

"Well of course I do, you see even if I die after I kill this mudblood you'll still be alone with her blood on your hands. Just like all the others you betrayed."

Severus had not betrayed anyone but death eaters. He glanced over at Hermione before looking back at the man that held her. She was scared, he could see it in her eyes. He just hoped that she didn't do anything rash.

"You don't even remember do you?" the man asked.

"What do you believe I should remember?" Severus asked taking on a tone of pure hatred toward this man who now held his whole world by the throat, literally.

"Because of your betrayal to the dark lord she died."

In Hermione's ear he said,

"That mans betrayal of us cost me my wife and yet he doesn't even remember. I wonder how long it will be before he won't remember your name."

"Don't listen to him Hermione." Severus said.

"You shut up Professor, you have no right to speak any more. Not when all you speak is lies," turning his mouth to Hermione's ear he said.

"Now my dear, how shall it be? Avarda Kardva? Quick, pretty painless. Or maybe the Cruciatus until every bone in your pretty body breaks? Not near as quick and painless, but then Severus there could live with the memory of you screaming. Or maybe Sectumsempra?" Hermione gasped, she remember this spell it was the one that Harry had used on Draco in their sixth year and then Voldemort used on Severus in the boat house to gain the power of the elder wand.

"Oh so you do know the spell our dear professor here developed."

With every spell Redding mentioned Severus felt his heart clinch, each was worse than the one before the last being his own damn spell, one that he developed to use against the marauders. Now this man wanted to use it to take his angel from him.

Severus looked over out of the corner of his eye to see the three men at the counter, each had their hands under the counter and each held a wand. He looked back up, he needed a plan quickly.

"Look at me, how could you know what was going to happen?"

"Oh I didn't know, it was just luck that I received the job from the defenders office."

"No, with Hermione."

"I didn't know that either, it was also a piece of luck that I happen across her the same year that the so called information you gave got my wife killed. She was just a mudblood they are so easy to fool."

Hermione tried to calm her breathing, she had been a fool then. She had believed what he had said to her, all of it.

"So tell me Redding how did your plan work out?"

"Well I didn't intend to let her live past the next year, she didn't remember what I told her anyway. The spell didn't work on her."

Severus cocked his head trying to piece together what he was talking about, he started to move further down the counter keeping Redding's attention. What spell could he possibly mean, the imp…. No.

"That spell doesn't work, that was why it was abandoned. It was too unpredictable."

"It worked well enough when I had her doing small things, it was the killing you that didn't work. When she came back that year, that was when I figured it out. You still didn't know, then the war heated up and I wasn't able to go after the dark lord's favorite pet."

"What did you figure out?" Severus said still moving down the counter slowly.

"It's what made it all perfect, when it all came together. I could make her pay for not doing what I ordered her too, I could make you pay for killing my wife."

"But I didn't kill her."

"Your false information did as surely as if you used the killing curse on her."

"But forcing a bonding, what could that possibly accomplish?"

Hermione just stood there listening, the grip around her throat was loosening the longer Redding talked.

"Oh that was just to punish this mudblood, what could be worse than her hated potions professor that she didn't even know she was in love with, when she figured it out it would make all the vile that you could give out all the more painful."

"Then why are you here now?"

"Because she has forgotten who she really belongs to, since you came back with your complaint. Only this time you…."

Redding trailed off tightening his hold on her throat before Severus said,

"Enough of this, let her go."

"I don't think so, see now you'll know what it is to lose the one you love. To watch as she dies in front of you."

Severus had his full attention, the three men at the counter slowly stood. Simon who was the furthest from them slowly went over the counter. Severus kept Redding's attention on him, glancing at Hermione then back at the man holding her by the throat he finally said.

"I don't think so."

Severus looked back at Hermione, he didn't have time.

Quickly he looked back at Redding before saying,

"You are assuming that I care for her, what do you think that you're the only one allowed to have fun?"

He heard Hermione whimper at his words, words that made bile rise in the back of his throat. He meant none of it, but he was a spy for too long to not make it seem convincing.

"What?"

If this man thought he held power of Severus he was going to be sorely mistaken.

"You heard me, do what you want to her. It's not that hard to replace one with another."

The man looked wildly between Severus and Hermione.

Hermione had tears streaming down her face as she pleaded with Severus,

"But…. You … said….." she sobbed breaking Severus' heart but his main objective was to get her away from Redding, he'd make it up to her. It was just another lie, it was not meant to hurt her.

"Oh shut up will you." Redding said to her.

Simon had made it to behind Redding, he dug his wand into the other man's neck saying,

"Let her go for you do not want to know what we are allowed to learn where I come from."

"I'd like to see you try old man." Redding said.

When another wand dug into his neck Redding turned his head to see three wands pointed at him, only to turn back to see Snape's wand pointed at him also. With a wicked grin he dropped his hands pushing Hermione toward Severus whispering a spell before saying,

"Have her, she'll never be the same."

Suddenly Hermione grabbed her head with both hands screaming.

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.