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A few days passed by, and one morning Severus awoke to an owl tapping at his window. Grumbling, he rolled out of bed and let the owl in.

"Would you be quiet!" he snapped when the owl wouldn't stop screeching.

Instantly the owl fell silent and stuck its leg out, refusing to look at Severus. The instant the note left the owl's leg, it took off, making sure to hit Severus in the face with its wing.

"Thanks for that," Severus snapped.

Instantly he recognized the handwriting, he was forced to read it for nearly six years.

The wedding is today. I hope you come.

Severus couldn't find it in himself to reject her anymore. Plus, he couldn't deny the fact that spending a day with her was very tempting. His will was crumbling faster and faster every day. Severus made no point on dressing better than he normally did, keeping his black robes on. He stared at himself in the mirror for quite some time, noticing how pale he looked with his sunken eyes and shallow cheek bones. Well, there wasn't any helping him now.

He strolled outside glancing up and down the road quickly before Apparating. When he arrived, he wished he hadn't come at all. There were dozens of people around, all dressed up and enjoying themselves. Severus groaned out loud at the sight. Before anyone could spot him, he took up his post at the outside of the wedding tent, scrutinizing everyone that walked by.

"Hello, Severus,"

He turned to find Remus standing beside him, studying the guests with a small smile on his face.

"Remus," Severus said in a bored tone.

"Come, it's a wedding! Cheer up!"

"I'm simply here for the Order, and that is all," Severus said folding his arms behind his back.

"I'll tell Hermione that," the man said before walking away with a grin.

Severus watched as all of the guests were seated, but the bushy hair he had been subconsciously waiting for did not show. Molly Weasley suddenly appeared in front of him, making him draw back slightly.

"Oh! Severus, I'm so glad you could make it! Come, sit here. The ceremony is about to start!"

Molly lead him to the back row of chairs, and sat him down, leaving the one nearest to the aisle opened. He watched as the woman darted down the aisle and took her seat, grinning wider than Severus thought was humanly possible. Just as the music started, and Severus debated making a dash from the tent, a flash of red suddenly blurred his vision, forcing him to remain in his seat as people began to make their way down the aisle.

"Sorry I'm late," Hermione whispered quickly, straightening out her dress. "I'm glad you came," she added with a small smile.

He nodded once, just as the bride began to walk. They all stood and turned towards the aisle, watching Fleur glide past. Severus took this time to study the woman next to him. She was stunning in her red dress, and she was nearly as tall as him with heels, but he was rather intrigued by the beaded bag that she had draped across her body. To him, it was a rather odd accessory. He watched as she smiled at the bride, seeming to brim with happiness at the sight.

Once they were all seated, Severus blocked the words out, not caring for a moment that he was at a wedding. His eyes kept straying to his right, watching the few strands of her hair that had escaped from the clip. And suddenly everyone was on their feet, clapping and cheering while wiping their eyes. Severus stood also, just as the chairs disappeared. Before Hermione could turn to him, he slipped away, and began looking to the sky for any sign of a disturbance. Severus noticed that many of the other members also took up posts around the tent.

The music floated through the darkening sky and laughter sprinkled the sweet air. Remus had tried to relieve him of his post, but he had refused. Severus made a point of rotating with the others, and had the unfortunate sight of seeing Weasley and Hermione dancing…more than once. Finally, Severus found the darkest part of perimeter of the tent, and resolved to stay there until the horrendous event was over. He would be able to sulk in peace.

"Why don't you take a break?"

He tensed at her presence. Severus now wished she was dancing with Weasley.

"I don't want to; I'm perfectly fine here,"

Hermione stood beside him, staring across the sky quietly. Soft music began to play, and Severus wished he had stayed home more than anything.

"Dance with me?" she asked softly.

"I believe Weasley is a more willing partner," he bit out.

"Ron still has some…misconceptions," she said awkwardly.

"How could he possibly still have those?" Severus snapped sarcastically.

"I guess I'll have to talk to him," she muttered, sounding rejected and turning away.

Severus gave a frustrated sigh.

"Granger,"

"Yes?" she asked turning back around.

He held out his hand, staring at her. She stood staring back at him, as if expecting something more from him. Severus sighed again.

"Hermione,"

With that, she slowly walked up to him and placed her hand gently in his. He felt the smoothness of her skin and the warmth. Severus pulled her forward gently, so they were standing directly in front of one another. He placed his hand on her waist, slowly sliding it around to the small of her back so he could pull her against him. Hermione instantly wrapped her arm around his shoulder, and slowly he began moving them.

Severus had never liked dancing, he didn't even know how, but this was enough for him. If they stood still, he would have been happy about it. He bent his head slightly, so his nose grazed her hair, and instantly smelled the smooth vanilla. Severus felt her hand tighten on the back of his robes as her nose grazed his neck, causing goose bumps to rise on his flesh. The two turned slowly, and Severus knew that the boundaries that he had tried to put between them were nearly non-existent. He relished the feeling of her in his arms, his thick cloak nearly enveloping her.

All too soon the song ended, in one long cord, and the two stopped, but didn't pull themselves apart. A livelier tune began, and Severus loosened his grip on her, and she the same on him. Their arms fell to their sides and their fingers drew apart, but he could still feel her breath on his neck. She moved a fraction of an inch away from him, and Severus couldn't bring himself to look her in the eye.

"Thank you," she whispered before disappearing inside the tent.

The night went on, and Severus slipped inside the tent for a moment, rubbing his eyes. Instantly, a Patronus appeared in the middle of the room, and Severus fought his way forward to hear what the message was.

"….They are coming….They are coming…"

His eyes flashed to Hermione's which were glued on him. Severus made a move to reach for her, but panic ensued.

Screaming. Running. Apparating. Flashes of light.

Severus couldn't distinguish anything that was going on. He was looking for a flash of red. Weasley reached her…and a few moments later Potter did the same. Severus fought his way forward as tables flipped around him.

"Hermione!" he shouted, not bothering to keep himself in check.

Her eyes instantly sought his, and the panic he saw in them made his heart clench. She could have left, gone with Potter and Weasley, but he saw her hand reach out to him, and he lunged forward, feeling her fingers grasp tightly onto his. In an instant, the chaos fell away, replaced by what sounded like a city. Severus opened his eyes and saw that he was standing beside a busy road in the center of a chaotic place, but he had no idea where. Before he could ask, he felt Hermione tugging him away, and he followed close beside her.

"What's he doing here?" Weasley squeaked.

"Not here Ron, we have to change," she replied breathlessly while tugging them down an alleyway.

They dodged into a small crevice where Hermione began to dig in her bag, pulling out clothing left and right, handing the articles to each boy.

"Hurry and go change," she snapped, pulling out more clothes for herself.

The two scurried off and changed while Hermione handed Severus the bag and turned her back.

"Unzip me?"

He did as he was told and watched as she slipped away to go and change. Severus stood and waited. The boys returned and glared at him and a few moments later Hermione returned, taking her bag from Severus. He could see the panic on her face as she dug through her bag.

"You two need to go to Headquarters, okay?" she began, pulling a large backpack out of her bag and handing it to Potter.

"What are you doing with my rut sack?" Potter asked eyeing her.

"I've had the essentials packed for days, just in case something happened. Anyway, you need to keep out of sight, the Ministry is gone," she looked up at the two. "We're on our own now,"

The two looked positively frightened, until Potter looked at him.

"Well, he'll go and rat us out to his little Death Eater friends," Potter snapped.

"Harry, please, we need to stick together, so stop biting people's heads off,"

"Hermione, how can you trust him?"

"I do, Dumbledore did," Hermione said resolutely.

"Well, I don't,"

"Harry, this isn't about you anymore! It's about all of us, so just swallow your pride for two seconds so we can think straight!"

"Hermione, what are we going to do?" Weasley asked.

"I've put an Undetectable Extension Charm on Harry's bag; all of your things are in there. I put clothes, books, some potions just in case anything goes wrong, and I put two Galleons in there. I have the other one. You can contact me through them, just like we did for the DA meetings,"

"Wait," Harry said. "You're…you're coming with us, right?"

Severus watched as her face fell, and she swallowed deeply.

"No, Harry, I'm not,"

"What? We need you Hermione; we can't do this without you!"

"That's what the Galleon's are for. I will help you, Harry, but I can't go with you,"

Severus noticed how she took a small step sideways, so she was standing directly next to him.

"Where are you going to go?"

"I…I promised some things, I'll be fine, really. And if I do need help, I'll tell you guys immediately," she said quietly.

"You're going with him, aren't you?" Potter said coldly.

"That doesn't matter, you guys need to go, now, before we're found," she said quickly.

"Hermione, we can hardly Apparate," Harry said.

"Fine, I'll take you," Hermione said taking their hands. "I'll be right back," she muttered to Severus.

Before he could say anything, she vanished with the two boys. Severus stood there, moving to hide himself in the shadows. He still couldn't believe that she was not going with her two dunderhead friends, instead she was choosing to go with him. Did he even say she could go with him? Even if he didn't…he still would have allowed her to come. At least if she was with him, he knew she would be safe. But was she really?

Severus pressed his back against the brick wall of the building and listened to the people rushing by a few yards away. He couldn't deny the fact that his heart was pounding viciously in his chest as he waited anxiously in the dark. Finally he heard a pop, and he shoved off the wall to see her busy hair worse than usual.

"Hi," she muttered while straightening out her clothes.

"Are you sure about this?" Severus immediately asked her.

"Yes," she said instantly, though he knew that she was crying.

"You do understand that what I'm involved with-"

"I know you're involved in dangerous things, but I made a promise to Dumbledore," she muttered, heading back towards the street.

She pulled to a stop and turned on him, dragging her eyes up and down his figure. Severus was about to snap at her, but she spoke before he could say anything.

"You should change your clothes. You'll draw attention if you're dressed in robes,"

He pulled out his wand, grumbling while his transfigured his robes into a black shirt and pants. Even after he had put his wand away, Severus looked up to find that Granger was still staring at him.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing," she muttered, though he could see the blush rise in her cheeks.

"We should go," he said, walking past her.

Hermione stepped into line with him, locking her hand around his forearm as they entered the sidewalk filled with people who were leaving work or going out for the night. He stopped suddenly at a street crossing along with dozens of people.

"Which way?" she asked.

"How should I know? I've never been here before; you're the one who decided to come here,"

"I came here once…when I was seven,"

"Well that's comforting," he muttered as everyone began walking.

Severus began walking and noticed that Hermione hadn't walked with him.

"Come on," he said glancing over his shoulder and holding his hand out behind him, urging her to take it.

In a flash he felt her fingers slide through his and squeeze tightly.

"I don't know what to do," she murmured in a panic. "I don't even know if I told Harry and Ron the right things. What if that's what they are expecting? What if they get caught because of me?"

"The Death Eater's know where Headquarters is, but they can't get in, the door doesn't appear to them because they are not Secret Keepers,"

"They're safe?"

"For the time being," he murmured, weaving through people.

"Can we just stop? Please? I-I can't think,"

Severus continued walking, until they came to a dingy café, and pulled her inside. Immediately Hermione sank into a booth, giving panicked glances around the room. Severus sat across from her, perfectly at ease.

"You know you don't have to do this," he said brushing a piece of lint from his arm.

"It's not that I don't want to…but this is the first time that I've not gone with Harry and Ron-"

"On one of your many adventures?"

"Well…yes. We've been together since we walked through the doors of Hogwarts, and to not be with them when we're doing the most important things in our lives…it's just scary,"

"You could have gone with them," he said, becoming agitated.

"No…I promised Dumbledore something,"

"And you're not going to tell me what that is," he snapped.

"I promised him, that no matter what, I wouldn't leave you alone,"

The two fell silent, staring at one another. He noticed that she was suddenly calmer, more determined.

"What?" he asked hoarsely.

"I told him that I wouldn't leave you alone. He asked me just to keep you company, and I promised him that I would stay with you,"

"Why would you do that?"

"You need someone to be with you through this. Harry has Ron, and you have me,"

Before he could respond, the waitress came over, asking for their orders.

"Nothing for me," Hermione said.

"Coffee," he muttered, rubbing his temple.

The waitress walked away with her pad, and the two remained silent.

"I know you're not happy about this, but I told Dumbledore that I would go to…him. I need you to help me with that. I don't know what to do,"

The way her eyes stared into his, desperately, begging him to help her…how could he say no? The waitress placed the cup of coffee in front of him, and he nodded his head in thanks. He took a small sip, enjoying the bitterness on his tongue.

"I need your help," she whispered.

Gently, he placed the cup down and looked up at her.

"Please,"

"Well, if I didn't, what would all of this be for?" he said, gesturing to the gold on his finger.

"I'm going to ruin everything, aren't I? Just because I had to be over eager and desperate to do something, I'm going to get us all killed,"

"No you are not," he snapped, causing her to sit back slightly. "Through all of the years of your ridiculous shenanigans with Potter, you've never once lost your nerve. Granted, this is going to be difficult, not to mention mentally trying, but you'll get through this just like you got through the past six years,"

"I'm going in front of the Dark Lord; it's certainly different than anything I've done before,"

"That is why…Dumbledore," he managed to force out the name. "Entrusted the task with me,"

"You will help me, won't you?" she asked softly.

"Well I can't exactly throw you at his mercy, can I? I promised to keep you safe, and I intend to do so,"

"Thank you," she muttered.

They sat for a moment in silence as he drank his coffee. Severus noted that Hermione seemed slightly more relaxed now, thinking clearer than before. Of course he would help her. He wasn't a heartless git; he did have feelings and emotions. No one would ever know that though because he always bottled them up. Her eyes kept flashing to her watch every so often, driving him nearly insane.

"Do you need to know the time every two minutes?" he finally snapped over the rim of his cup.

"Do you think they're asleep?" she blurted out.

"How should I know when Potter and Weasley sleep?" Severus snapped.

"Should I go and check on them?" she asked.

"Absolutely not!"

Hermione jumped as he slammed the cup on the table.

"I've risked my life to make sure you are safe, and I will not have you gallivanting around when nearly everyone in the magic community is after Potter!"

Hermione remained silent, and then saw that he was finished with his coffee. Digging into her pocket, she threw some bills on the table and stood.

"We really should go; we've been here for too long already. No doubt they're looking for me also,"

Severus stood, and the two left the café, sticking to the shadows. He couldn't keep his eyes from drifting to her. Severus swore that the more he looked at her, the better she looked. Her jaw was set determinedly as they marched down the sidewalk. Her blazing brown eyes flashed back and forth across the street, searching for anything that may be out of the ordinary. He was pulled out of his thoughts as a group of men began wolf whistling from across the street.

"Disgusting," Hermione muttered, keeping her head down.

"Hey, why don't you come over here? We'll show you a good time," one of the men slurred.

Severus gripped his wand tighter in his hand as he instinctively walked closer to her. One of the men stumbled across the street and stood in front of them, reeking of stale beer.

"Ditch the old man, and come home with me,"

In a flash Severus shoved the man against a metal garage door, the sound echoing down the street, and pressed his wand against his throat. The man whimpered and begged for a moment for his life, until he saw the wand.

"What are you going to do? Beat me with a twig?"

Roars of laughter erupted from around them, and Severus was a moment away from hexing the man until he was put into the hospital.

"Severus!" Hermione cried and grabbed his arm, attempting to pull him off the other man. "Not here! We have to go!"

At her touch, he relaxed his body voluntarily, trying not to scare her. The man, now freed, rubbed his neck, giving a breathless laugh.

"He threatened me with a stick? Did you see that?" the man called to his friends on the other side of the street.

Severus cocked his arm, and instantly slammed the man in the face with his fist, causing him to crash to the ground in a heap, wailing at the top of his lungs.

"My nose! You broke my bloody nose!" the man cried, rolling around as blood spewed from his face.

"If you had a shred of intelligence in you, you'd know how to properly treat a woman," Severus barked, rubbing his knuckles. "So help me if I ever hear you talk to a woman like that again, I'll do a whole lot more than break your bloody nose. That goes for the lot of you,"

The men on the other side of the street stared at him dumbly as if they didn't contain a single brain cell. Severus felt a tug at his sleeve, and looked to find a pale and scared woman beside him. He wanted to kick the man, but Hermione dug her nails into his skin.

"Come on…please, can we go?"

She didn't wait for a response before heading down the sidewalk, forcefully tugging at his arm. Severus rubbed his knuckles harder because they were really starting to throb now. The two stumbled into a deserted alley, and she turned on him.

"Where are we going?" she snapped.

"To my home, I suppose. We don't really have much of a choice," he grounded out, his blood still boiling from the events that transpired.

"Can you Apparate us there?"

She was clearly angry, which only made him even more furious than before. Without giving her a word of warning, he wrapped an arm around her waist, yanking her against him before Apparating to Spinner's End. The moment their feet touched the ground, he released her and began walking towards his home. No doubt she would sneer at it.

Severus threw open the door and stepped aside so she could step in. The minute she was in, he slammed the door shut, and put the wards back up. Flicking his wrist, the candles in the sitting room burst alive, revealing dusty shelves with books covering nearly every wall.

"I'm sure this isn't as grand as you're used to," he sneered.

"It's…wonderful," she said as a smile found its way onto her face. "I love it, really," she added upon seeing the look on his face.

Severus walked into the room, instantly pouring himself some Firewhiskey and downing the entire glass. Hermione's sudden gasp made him freeze.

"Your hand!" she cried.

He looked down to see his bruised and swollen knuckles.

"Well, that's unfortunate,"

"Come on, I'll help you with that,"

"It's fine,"

"Just…where's the kitchen?"

Severus showed her where the kitchen was, and she instantly went to the freezer.

"You don't have any frozen bags of anything?" she asked.

"No,"

Pulling out the empty ice cube trays, she filled them with water, froze them, and then conjured a rag.

"Sit,"

Severus did as he was told. He watched as she broke the ice cubes out of their molds and into the rag. She took his hand and pulled it towards her before gently placing the rag on his knuckles. Severus hissed, but she held his hand tightly.

"You shouldn't have punched that man in the face,"

"He shouldn't have been acting like an inbred pig,"

"Besides the fact that punching someone is borderline barbaric…thank you,"

Severus raised his eyebrows at her.

"For defending me like that,"

He noticed that she shifted in her chair and refused to meet his eyes. Sighing deeply, he looked down as where she was tenderly holding his hand in hers.

"You're welcome," he murmured.

They fell into a silence, and he continued to pour himself drinks, even offering her a sip, which she gratefully took. Suddenly she laughed, and he looked up at her, but her eyes were still on the rag.

"I punched Draco Malfoy in the face once," she said quietly.

Severus was sure that his face was frozen in shock.

"What?" he asked in disbelief.

She laughed, throwing her head back.

"I punched him in the face…in our third year,"

Her smile was simply radiant, and he felt his chest swell before he began laughing. Hermione was clearly shocked at the action, but she laughed again along with him.

"Why would you punch him in the face?" he finally asked with a smile on his face.

"Buckbeak was going to be executed, and Malfoy took his little gang out there to watch. I was positively furious, but Harry and Ron stopped me from hexing him. He started being cocky, so I just punched him,"

"Who would have thought," Severus said, finishing off his glass again.

"Honestly, I can't remember feeling that good…ever,"

"Remind me not to piss you off," he said with a smirk.

Hermione smirked at him, and then looked at his knuckles with a frown.

"How hard did you hit him?" she asked.

"Hard enough to break his nose apparently,"

"Do your knuckles hurt?"

"I can move them, if that's what you're asking,"

"They're purple,"

He looked down at his hand and saw how horrible they looked.

"You could have just used a healing charm," he said, knowing full well that he would have done the same as she did.

"I like doing things the Muggle way, it makes me appreciate magic more,"

Severus stared at her for a long while, and she stared firmly back. He didn't want anything more than to kiss her at the moment. His mind flashed to Christmas night, the two of them pressed together, desperately clinging to one another. Looking away and clearing his throat, he stood from the table.

"I think we should turn in for the night, we've had a long day. Come, I'll show you to your room,"

He quickly made his way up the stairs and threw opened a door.

"This will be your room, for the time being. My room is the next one over, if you should need anything. Unfortunately, there is only one bathroom," he said pointing to a door farther down the hall.

She smiled at him, and his heart jumped.

"Thank you, for everything you've done," she said quietly.

"Don't mention it," he said gruffly while heading towards his room.

"Professor?" she called after him.

"Severus,"

"What?"

"You can call me Severus, seeing as I'm no longer your teacher and legally, well, you understand,"

"Good night, Severus,"

"Good night, Hermione,"

Severus slipped into his room and threw himself on the bed without undressing. His thoughts revolved around the brown eyed beauty, sleeping feet away from him.