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Hermione awoke the next morning in a daze. Peering around the room, she had no idea where she was.

Oh no, I was caught at the wedding, wasn't I? They're going to kill me.

But then everything came rushing back to her. Sending Harry and Ron away, having coffee with Severus, him punching the man in the face. She felt a smile spread on her face at the thought. The man had been extremely rude to her, and Severus had punched him square in the nose in her defense. Granted he had severely injured himself, but he had no doubt defended her.

Also, he had asked her to call him by his first name. The only time she used his name was if she was completely petrified. Hermione knew that her imagination wasn't playing tricks on her, but he had stared at her with such intensity that made her stomach clench and her heart beat faster. Severus had been more open to her touches; he even took her hand when they were dodging through the people on the sidewalk.

Perhaps under his cold, austere expression, he had feelings for her?

Nearly every night she thought about the moment he kissed her, and wished more than anything that he would do so again. But he had disappeared for nearly seven months, leaving her utterly alone and afraid. Honestly, she just wanted to hit him when he came back, but then he had showed her that he was in fact, innocent. Hermione wanted to kiss him right then and there, but seeing as only she, Severus and Remus knew about the marriage, it would have destroyed their cover.

Hermione sighed deeply as her thoughts drifted to Harry and Ron. They were probably just waking up, staring at each other without a clue in the world to help them. They had practically begged her to stay and help them, but she promised to stay with Severus.

Speaking of, she heard movement in the room next to hers, and she knew he was awake.

What were they going to do now? The thought made her sick to her stomach. Once she was taken to the Dark Lord, she would hold all of their lives in her hand. Severus had promised to help her, and she was putting all of her hope in that. She knew that he was uncomfortable with the idea, but she had promised to play her part. Hell, she even married him to do so.

Stretching, Hermione climbed out of bed and strolled downstairs, set on finding something for breakfast. When raiding the cabinets, she found more empty glass bottles of Firewhiskey than she would have liked to admit, and threw them out. Obviously he had a knack for drinking more than he could handle. Well, he wouldn't be doing that anymore, not while she was around.

Hermione found some eggs in the refrigerator…and not much else. Clearly, one of them would have to go shopping or they'd starve to death. She made quick work of making scrambled eggs and just placed the plates on the table as Severus came strolling into the room.

"I can't believe you found something suitable to eat in this house," he said, moving to the stove and grabbing a kettle.

She watched as he manually set the kettle up with a smile on her face.

"You could have used magic," she mentioned, digging into her eggs.

"I like doing things the Muggle way, it makes me appreciate magic more. Isn't that what you said?"

Hermione blushed and lowered her eyes to her plate as he joined her. A tap at the window made her jump and drop her fork. Severus was immediately on his feet with his wand out.

"It's only an owl," he said, opening the window, allowing the creature in.

The owl dropped the Daily Prophet on the table and Severus paid the bird. Hermione opened the paper and stared blankly at the front page.

"Oh my God,"

Harry was on the front page, staring coldly and blankly back at her, and the headline was in large bold letters: UNDESIRABLE No. 1

Quickly Hermione read the story, and her heart was at her feet halfway through the article. Finally, she pushed the paper away, and Severus retook his seat, no longer being able to read over her shoulder. Hermione dropped her plate into the sink before turning off the whistling kettle. Without a single word, she walked upstairs to take a shower.

Once she was dressed, she headed back downstairs, her mind clear and refreshed. Searching for a moment, she found Severus in the sitting room with his glasses on, a book in his lap and a cup of tea on the table. She took a seat, staring at him.

"You'll be happy to know that the entire magic world has refrained from ruthlessly hunting you down," he said.

"What?"

"I've spoken to the Dark Lord. His desire to have your mind fresh and untroubled has forced him to call off the dogs, so to speak. You are valuable to him, and I've told him that I need time to get you ready,"

"Get me ready?"

"I need to convince you that the Dark side is the side which has been telling the truth and all that almighty garbage about Dumbledore being a fraud is true. I've told him that I need time to convince you to go willingly to him,"

"How much time?"

"A month. I explained that you were shocked at the events that occurred at the wedding, and that you need time to recover,"

"When did you do all of this?"

"When you were taking a shower,"

"What!" she cried, jumping up.

"I don't see a problem with that," he said looking up from his book and pulling his glasses from his face.

"You don't see the problem? You left me alone! You left me here, by myself. Anyone could have just walked in and killed me!"

"You're being a little over dramatic. No one comes here anymore, they're afraid,"

"I don't care what they are," she said settling back on the sofa. "Just don't leave me alone again, I'm scared,"

"What are you scared about?" he asked, not at all mocking her.

"I don't know, everything now," Hermione muttered, gazing at the bookshelves.

"You don't have anything to be afraid of, okay?"

Hermione looked at him for a moment, and she could feel herself crumbling.

"Everything's falling apart now. The Order, the Ministry, our world, what is there not to be afraid of?" she said softly.

"We're in the middle of a war, things are going to crumble beneath our feet," Severus said, closing the book and placing it beside him.

"I've had to destroy my parents memories, leave my best friends alone, and now I have to face him and try to convince him not to kill the people I care about,"

Hermione instantly noticed the slightly crest fallen look on his face, which he tried to mask by picking up his book again.

"You're included in that category,"

"I'm sorry?" he asked, raising his eyes to hers.

"I do care about you,"

Hermione desperately wanted to tack on that she cared for him more than just a teacher or friend, but she couldn't find the words to say. Hopefully the blush rushing across her face would be enough to convey her feelings.

The day passed slowly for Hermione. Severus went to the market to buy some more food for them, and while he was gone, Hermione took it upon herself to clean the kitchen, thoroughly. When he returned, she was sitting at the table with a cup of tea, reading the paper more levelheaded than the first time she scanned the article. Severus dumped two bags on the counter, looking rather angry.

"You cleaned?" he asked, peering around.

"Yes," Hermione answered, getting up to empty the bags.

She was rather surprised at how well he did considering it didn't look as if he shopped much for himself.

"It's…nice,"

"Nice?" she asked, putting a loaf of bread in the cupboard.

"The last time I can remember someone caring for this house was when I was probably eleven," he said, turning a page in the paper she had left on the table.

Hermione felt sorry for him, immensely, but she knew he wouldn't appreciate her pity. Instead, as she went to head towards the sitting room, she gently brushed her fingers across the top of his hand before leaving the room. They ate a silent dinner of spaghetti, and Hermione went to bed early. A few hours later she heard Severus quietly make his way to his room. With a sigh she looked past the foot of her bed, to the door, but she couldn't see the door. Instead, there was the smoky image of a man at the foot of her bed.

The instant she let out a bloodcurdling scream, the image disappeared. Hermione scrambled from the bed and threw open her door before dashing into the hallway. Immediately she crashed into Severus who had his wand drawn, ready to fight.

"What?" he asked as Hermione clung to his robes.

"There was somebody in my room!"

Severus managed to pry her fingers from his shirt before entering her room. Hermione shivered in the hallway as she heard him searching every nook and cranny before coming back out.

"There's no one there," he said.

"I saw him! He was standing at the foot of my bed, staring at me!"

"You could have been dreaming," he said, slipping his wand away.

"I wasn't, I heard you go to bed, and then I saw the Death Eater!"

"Death Eater?" he asked, his interest growing.

"Yes, he was sort of smoky. I've seen how they Apparate, when we were attacked in the Ministry in our fifth year, we all saw what they looked like,"

He stared at her for a long moment and finally sighed.

"Just…go back to sleep,"

"I'm not going back in there,"

"Then where do you think you're sleeping?"

"I don't know…downstairs,"

"It's freezing down there," he snapped.

Before she could say anything else, he grabbed her wrist and tugged her towards his room. Throwing the door open he unceremoniously shoved her inside. Hermione found that he fireplace was lit, making the room oddly warm. He had apparently been reading because there was an open book on the floor beside the bed, suggesting he had forgotten it when she screamed. He scooped the book up and placed it gently on the bedside table before climbing into the bed.

"Do you plan on sleeping standing up?" he asked, extinguishing the candle on his side.

"Are you sure? I don't want to intrude,"

"If I wasn't sure I would have forced you to sleep in the cellar,"

Without another word she made her way to the other side of the bed, and silently slipped between the sheets. There was an awkward silence in the room, making it nearly impossible for her to sleep. Hermione tilted her head towards him, and apparently he felt the shift because he turned over on his side, putting his back towards her. She listened to his breathing, hearing it slow to a point that she knew he was asleep. With a sigh, she turned her back to him, but was met with a hand being pressed over her mouth, causing her to give a small squeal of surprise.

"Shut up before I kill you,"

Hermione was breathing heavily while clawing at the hand that was clamped on her mouth. She squirmed, causing the man to grab her neck and squeeze, but she managed to strike Severus with her foot, but she was afraid that he didn't wake.

"Now, we're going to take a little trip, Mudblood, without your bodyguard,"

Before Hermione could process the words, she saw a body lunge over her. The hand on her mouth and throat instantly disappeared as a flash of light filled the room. Hermione scrambled to the other side of the bed and quickly jumped from it, her legs tangled in the sheets.

"How dare you come into my house and threaten my wife!"

The man's eyes widened farther.

"Ah, you didn't know, did you?" Severus mocked slightly. "Yes, we are married, and yes, the Dark Lord knows. If you were remotely important, you'd know that her safety was not to be compromised. The Dark Lord will be hearing of this, you can be certain of that,"

Hermione didn't see how, but the man suddenly went flying through the widow, hitting the ground below with a sickening thud. Severus repaired the window, and immediately eyed her, pressed against the wall.

"Hermione?" he asked walking around the bed towards her.

"I told you there was a man there, and you didn't believe me," she said, still shaking. "He was going to take me,"

"I wouldn't have let that happen," he said reaching out for her.

Hermione flung herself onto him, pressing her face into his chest. She couldn't stop her shaking; the fact that she was inches away from being taken from him scared her more than she cared to admit. Severus was the only person she had left now. Her parents didn't know who she was, Harry and Ron were gone, the Weasley's couldn't speak to her in fear of condemning themselves, and Remus had to go into hiding.

She felt his arms slowly wind themselves around her body, and Hermione sighed deeply. She was immensely comforted by his arms. His body radiated strength, safety, and warmth, and Hermione never wanted to leave this spot. Once her shaking had stopped for the most part, Severus pulled away.

"We should get some sleep,"

Without another word, she climbed into bed, sliding over so he could get in. They settled in, and Hermione turned to him.

"What if he comes back?" she asked quietly.

"I'll put up some wards,"

Hermione listened to him mumble into the darkness words she didn't know, and felt herself becoming calmer. The minute she was sure he was done, she nearly flung herself at him, desperate for contact. Hermione felt him tense up, but nevertheless, his arms wrapped around her body, securely pulling her against him.

"You're safe, I won't let anything happen to you," he murmured into her hair.

She snuggled closer to him in response before slowly drifting off to sleep.

The next morning, the sunlight assaulted her eyes, causing her to turn her face away from the offending window. Breathing in deeply, she realized that she could hear a thumping beneath her ear. The night's events came rushing back to her, but she didn't dare move, knowing that she was indeed resting nearly on top of Severus. Hermione could feel her legs intertwined with his along with the sheets, pressing them together. Regardless, she wished she could stay there forever, enveloped in his warmth.

Hermione feigned sleep as she felt him stir beneath her. Immediately, she felt him tense. Apparently he had forgotten that she was there. Hermione felt his hand slightly shift on her waist, brushing across the area where her shirt had slightly lifted up during the night. Immediately, goose bumps rose on her skin, but his fingers were suddenly gone. Severus inhaled deeply and released a small sigh.

His fingers found their way to her tangled hair, which he gently touched, making sure to avoid any knots. Hermione felt herself drifting as his fingers gently stroked her hair in an almost hesitant manner. Just as she was about to slip away, she felt his fingers trail across her jaw, his thumb gently stroking her cheek.

She did not expect what happened next. Right when she thought he was going to go back to sleep, she felt his lips brush her forehead, a small sigh lingering in the air.

Gently, he eased her off of his chest and untangled their legs before silently slipping out of bed. The moment she heard the door close behind him, her eyes snapped opened, staring at it. Hermione could barely believe what had just happened. Severus Snape had been…tender? Her heart was pounding in her chest at the thought.

The months that he was away, she couldn't explain it, but her feelings grew more than she ever thought possible. The constant worry, the thoughts about them kissing at Headquarters and the weight of the ring on her finger made her realize that her feelings were far deeper than she originally thought. And now…after the events of the morning…Hermione was quite convinced that she was falling in love with Severus Snape.

Quickly she jumped out of bed, making sure that the shower was running before heading down stairs. She made breakfast, like she usually did, retrieved the paper and paid the owl. Hermione desperately ate, afraid of being in the same room with Severus. Once she was done, she took the paper to the sitting room and began reading, though she wasn't at all interested.

He came down the stairs a short while later, and Hermione took this chance to dart up the stairs and take a shower. She was able to clear her head under the hot spray of the water, and think rationally about what was going on.

Certainly she had feelings for him, but was love too strong of a word?

Her gut twisted, and she knew that it wasn't. The way she felt about him was far deeper than anything she has ever felt before. He wasn't just another someone, one of her friends that she was concerned about. The thought of him being in danger nearly made her sick to her stomach. She never wanted him to be hurt again, and God forbid if he should be killed…she wouldn't know how to go on with her life. He was her life now, and Hermione was miraculously okay with that.

She found herself dressing slowly in her room, but a sudden burning sensation came from her pocket, and she realized what it was: the Galleon.

Snatching it quickly out, she looked at the words.

Important news. Come ASAP.

Hermione had grabbed her wand and bag as fast as she could before running down the stairs, making enough noise to raise the dead. Finding Severus in the kitchen still, she ran in, not even bothering to hide her distressed state.

"Do you trust me?" she asked instantly.

"What happened?" he asked dropping his fork as his gaze swept over her face.

"Do you trust me?" Hermione asked again.

"Should I?"

"Severus, this is serious!"

"Yes, I suppose I do trust you. To an extent,"

"I'll be back in an hour, okay?"

Hermione didn't even wait for a reply before hurrying to the door.

"Hermione!"

She pulled up short, not being able to disobey him when he used that tone.

"Where are you going?" he asked, eyeing her closely.

"Harry and Ron need me," she said showing him the Galleon.

"Information be damned! You are not putting yourself in harm's way!"

"This is important! They wouldn't have asked me to go otherwise!"

"Absolutely not, it is far too dangerous, and I know for a fact that there are Death Eater's surrounding Headquarters, and they will not hesitate to kill you, even though they were told not to,"

"I promise to be careful. I won't do anything stupid or heroic, okay? They need me,"

Hermione watched the struggle on his face, causing the lines in his skin to deepen. His dark eyes burned deeply as he stared at her.

"If I tell you no, you'll fight me and go anyway and I risk you never coming back which would result in all of us being killed. If I say yes, and you are caught, they will kill you without a second thought,"

"Then I'll make sure I'm not caught,"

"You need to Apparate directly on the front step, that is how far the enchantments go. If you are so much as an inch off, you will be seen. This is going to take extreme accuracy and focus, but I have no doubt you'll be fine,"

Hermione nodded, gripping her bag tightly in her hands.

"Thank you," she whispered, heading towards the door.

"Hermione?"

"Yes?"

"If for one second you doubt your safety, you are to contact me immediately. Do you understand?"

Hermione walked up to him and quickly kissed his cheek, feeling the smoothness of his freshly shaven skin. Without a backwards glance, she opened the door and slipped out into the foggy morning. Walking a short distance, she focused on the step at Headquarters, and turned on the spot.

Opening her eyes, she was met with a familiar worn down door. Hermione couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face. Turning to look over her shoulder, she saw at least half a dozen Death Eaters standing around. Quickly, she entered the house, shutting the door quietly behind her.

An idea suddenly struck her, and she turned her ring once, feeling a slight warmth.

"Umm…I made it and I'm safe," she said.

A moment later, the ring returned to its normal state.

Hermione looked up to see a dusty figure darting towards her. Instantly she screamed, causing the figure to burst.

"Hermione?"

"Harry!" Hermione cried dashing towards him and hugging him tightly.

Ron appeared a moment later and she hugged him also. The three made their way into the kitchen where Kreature was sulking in a corner. Sitting down, she listened to Harry retell what had been going on without her.

"But he's dead," Hermione said looking between the two boys.

"Yes, but he gave the real locket to Kreature, and supposedly Fletcher came through and stole it,"

"Well, where is he?"

"Kreature got him for us, he sold it. Care to guess who has it now?"

Hermione could tell that Harry was angry, so she just looked at him, waiting for an answer.

"Umbridge,"

"NO!" Hermione cried instantly.

"You know what this means, right?" Harry continued. "We have to break into the Ministry to get it,"

The three looked at one another coming to the realization that Harry's suggestion was the only way that they were going to get the Horcrux. Instantly, the three began planning viciously, relying mostly on Ron's knowledge of the Ministry.

"We'll need blueprints of the Ministry, so we can map this out," Hermione said.

"There aren't any books that are going to help us here, we've already looked," Ron said with a sigh.

"I'll look for something," Hermione said, her thoughts flitting to the expansive collection of books at Spinner's End.

Spinner's End! Hermione jumped up with a gasp.

"I have to go! I've completely lost track of time!"

"Hermione, you've just gotten here, you can't leave yet!"

"Harry, it's been two hours! I promised Severus I'd be back in an hour!"

"Snape? You're still with him?"

"Yes, Harry, where else did you think I would be?"

She reached the door and turned to look at her two best friends.

"I promise, everything is going fine with me, just trust me. I'll look for anything that can help us, and you do the same. Also, find a way to destroy the Horcrux, even if we find it, it won't do us any good not knowing how to destroy it," she muttered.

Quickly she said goodbye and then left the house, making sure not to pass the first stair. Turning quickly, she felt herself being pulled through space before stumbling back onto a foggy street. Hermione nervously made her way through the streets knowing for a fact that Severus was going to kill her because she was over an hour late.