Hey! To make up for no post last week, I made sure to make this chapter extra long. Hope you all enjoy and let me know what you think!

Hermione was reassigned to another case, and came back to Grimmauld Place in a rage, throwing the folder of papers onto the table as she paced around. Severus remained silent as she yelled about being forced to be a paper pusher until something bigger came around.

"I shouldn't have to be doing paper work for prisoners! That is not my job. I thought I had signed up to catch wizards and witches who broke the law and make sure they were locked up! Why am I stuck at my desk all day?!"

"You did attack a prisoner," he offered, seeing her turn with fire in her eyes.

"I didn't even hurt him!"

"Hermione, you had him on his knees with your hand around his throat,"

"And that is enough to give me paperwork?"

"Well they can't just put you back in the mix of things immediately, that would be ridiculous,"

"You're not helping,"

"If you were in their position, would you put you back in the field?"

Her silence answered his question.

"Maybe after a week they'll give you something else to do. They're probably wary of how you'll react once you're back in the field,"

"I don't care about anyone else we catch, Malfoy was the problem. He just...bothers me. I'm tired of that man interfering," she said taking a seat across from him.

Severus felt his nerves getting the better of him – he told himself that after the Death Eater ordeal was over, he would ask Hermione to live with him at Spinner's end. Technically, that moment had arrived.

"Are you happy here?" he blurted out.

She regarded him closely for a few moments, as if the reasoning behind his sudden question was writing on his face.

"Am I happy here? What do you mean?"

"Are you happy living with your friends,"

"Of course I am," she said eyeing him closely. "Why?" she pushed.

"Seeing as things seem to be coming to an end, I wanted to extend to you an offer to come and live with me," he said, glancing quickly at her face before looking into his cup.

She was silent, and Severus quickly began to backtrack.

"I can understand if you would like to stay here with your friends, you don't have to make a decision now if you think this is too fast-"

"I would love to move in with you,"

Severus quickly lifted his head to look at her and found her suppressing a grin, but ecstatic nonetheless.

"Really?" he asked.

"Of course,"

Severus couldn't help but smile at her. He was more than ready to give their relationship a real try – he wanted this to work more than anything in the world. He couldn't imagine his life without her.

"When would it be convenient for you?" Hermione asked.

"Whenever you're ready,"

"Is tonight alright?" she asked with a smirk.

"Yes," he replied instantly.

Before he could register her reaction she had jumped from the chair and darted from the kitchen. He heard her running up the stairs and bursting into her room, rushing around while slamming things. Severus sat still in the kitchen listening to the sounds coming from the floor above. He couldn't believe that she had agreed to move in with him, and was so eager that she was willing to move tonight. Before he could ponder much more Severus heard her footsteps on the stairs and a moment later she was bustling back into the kitchen, Crookshanks stuffed into his carrier and her beaded bag hanging from her shoulder. She placed both things onto the table before taking her seat with a smile. Severus looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Is that all?" he asked.

"Yes, I didn't take much with me when I was on the run with Harry and Ron, and my parents cleared the house out, so this is all I have,"

Severus remembered that her bag had an Extension Charm on it. He watched as she looked at Crookshanks through the bars of his carrier, sticking her finger in to stroke his nose.

"Are you sure about this?" he questioned.

"I've never been more sure,"

Her smile was enough to set him at ease. The two remained at the table waiting for the others to return. Hermione checked the time every few minutes, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Relax," Severus murmured quietly, making himself another cup of coffee.

She huffed and propped her legs up on the seat of another chair.

"We've waited this long, we can wait another few minutes,"

"This is the first time we'll be able to really be together instead of having to be together. Nearly two years I've waited for this moment, and I'm ready to start living again,"

Severus reached his hand across the table, and Hermione instantly dropped her feet to the ground and turned in her seat to place her hand in his. He studied their hands while running his thumb across her knuckles, pausing for a moment when he reached the silver band on her finger.

"Are you nervous about living together?" she asked.

He raised his eyes to hers for a moment before looking at their hands again.

"No, we've lived together before,"

"But we had to before; people were trying to kill me,"

"Do you think living under the same roof will be much different from the first time?" he asked.

"No, I suppose you're right,"

The time slipped by, but soon, the front door opened, prompting Hermione to jump up and head to the doorway.

"How did everything go?" she asked just as Harry entered the kitchen.

"Fine, most gave Malfoy up the first chance they got,"

"Good," Hermione said with relief.

"How are you doing?" he asked warily.

"I'm fine," she said with a smile.

"You did attack Malfoy in an interrogation room,"

"It was just a lapse in judgment, it won't happen again," she said brushing it off as Ron entered the kitchen.

As they became settled, Hermione began nervously rubbing her hands together.

"Harry, I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate everything you've done for me. You helped me at a real low point in my life," she began.

"But?" he prompted, not looking the least bit bothered.

"Severus and I were talking when we came back here, and I've decided-well, we've decided-I'm going to be moving in with Severus,"

Harry looked up with her with a smile, a smile that looked just like his mother's.

"That's great,"

"Really? I don't want you to feel like I'm abandoning you after everything,"

"I knew it was going to happen eventually, Hermione. Plus, we're only a chimney away if anything happens,"

The next thing Severus remembered was standing at the door, holding the cat carrier and watching Hermione hug her friends goodbye. Weasley took an extra second to hold Hermione, making Severus aware of the fact that he was not happy with how things turned out. She was at his side a moment later, giving her friends a final wave before the two stepped out into the dark. Hermione took a deep breath, sighing as she released it.

"Ready?" he asked.

"I've never been more ready for anything in my life,"

Severus smiled and Apparated to Spinner's End. They stood in the street, gazing up at his childhood home. This was it; he knew Hermione sensed the same thing by the way her hand tightened on his own. Silently Severus pulled her to the door, pushing it open before pulling her inside. The hall was dark as Severus shut the door and Hermione released Crookshanks from his carrier. The cat immediately took off, most likely finding something to hide under. Hermione entered the living room, starting a fire with her wand. Severus immediately went to pour himself a drink. The two were quiet, and Severus finished his drink before turning to her. She was standing behind the two chairs that flanked the fire, a beautiful smile gracing her features. He watched as she dropped her bag into a chair, turning to look at him.

"We did it, I can't believe it," she said brimming with joy.

A moment later she had her arms wrapped around his waist, head resting on his chest. Hermione rearranged the room before the two settled in, putting the couch in front of the fire and the chairs against the window. Severus couldn't recall how it happened, but hours later he was stretched out across the couch, Hermione's hair fanned out across his black clothing. One of his hands were tangled in her hair, the other wrapped around a glass of firewhiskey that she sometimes took from him to take a small sip. Their eyes were locked on the flickering flames that gently caressed the logs which emitted a small glow. Severus could feel her falling asleep on his chest, her breathing becoming deeper. He closed his eyes, focusing on the warmth of her body and the soft smell of vanilla coming from her hair. It didn't take him long to fall asleep.

Hermione and Severus fell into a routine shortly after that. It was just as it was before when they lived together, except the darkness and heaviness was gone. They no longer had sinister things hanging over their heads, threatening them at every turn in the road. Severus noticed that more of her things seemed to be making an appearance in his room and in the bathroom, but he didn't mind in the least. Every time he saw something of hers, it reminded him that they had made it.

During the day, Severs spent his time in the basement, brewing and perfecting the potion he had made. Hermione was at work, trying to prove herself and slowly working her way back up the ladder. Severus knew she kept in touch with Harry who was still on Lucius Malfoy's case. Nearly every night she updated him on how the case and trial was going. Hermione was also focused on creating a new spell to remove cat hair from fabric. She began working on the spell when Severus threatened to shave the cat. Crookshanks had taken a liking to Severus, and if he was still for more than five minutes, Crookshanks would try and get Severus to hold him. Orange fur was very noticeable on black robes, and nearly impossible to get off. Regardless, Hermione would often catch Severus with the cat in his lap as he leaned over some papers on his desk.

The school year was nearly upon them, and for the first time in years, Severus was anxious to teach again. He wanted to get back to normalcy, even if that included hating the horrendous writing of the children he taught. Minerva assigned him to his usual chambers for the duration of the year, but he had yet to ask Hermione about her preference of living arrangements.

Hermione had taken to Spinner's End better than Severus could have ever hoped. For the first week, she furiously cleaned things, except for the cellar which Severus specifically said was off limits. Severus didn't know when she worked on the house, but for the first month or so, he would walk out of a room for a few hours and when he walked back in, the walls would be painted and everything completely spotless. He let her do what she wanted, as long as it wasn't something outrageous. Her tastes often reflected his, and Hermione tended to go for a more homey feeling rather than a luxurious one, which he was thankful for.

A week before he was to return to school, Hermione brought up Minerva's letter she had found when cleaning the kitchen. He had forgotten that he had left it on the counter.

"I've had the same chambers for nearly twenty years," he said casually, turning back to the newspaper he had spread out across the table.

"Are you going to live there again?"

He raised his eyes to hers, seeing a nervousness flash across her face.

"I was going to ask you where you'd rather live while I'm teaching,"

"But it's your job,"

"It makes little difference to me where we live, as long as you're comfortable,"

She lowered her eyes to the sheet of paper with emerald ink. He pulled his glasses off of his face and placed them down on the table, seeing that something was bothering her.

"Hermione, it's really not a big deal,"

"Oh, I know," she said giving him a shaky smile.

"What's bothering you?"

"I know that you'd like to live at the school, it would be easier for you. I would move there if you wanted. I can ask Minerva to keep the fireplace opened,"

"But?"

She raised her eyes briefly to his for a moment before looking away.

"It makes me uncomfortable,"

"What, living at the school?"

"No, living in those rooms again,"

The silence permeated the air. Her downcast gaze and suddenly hunched posture was enough to allow the pieces to fall into place in his head.

"We can stay here then, I don't mind using the fireplace every day. I'd rather be here anyway,"

"I'm sorry, it's just those rooms have to much-"

"History, I know," he said. "I understand,"

She offered him a relieved smile, bringing her watery eyes to his face. He stood, taking the letter from her hand and pressing his lips to the top of her head.

"I'll go write Minerva now,"

Once the school year started, Severus and Hermione left at the same time in the morning. Well, they were supposed to leave the same time every morning, but Hermione was usually running late. If the weather was nice, they would Apparate from the street to their respective jobs, and if not, they would take the floo network. On this particular day, it was pouring out, and Severus did not feel like getting wet before going to teach a bunch of dunderheads.

"Hermione, it's time to go," Severus called from the sitting room, looking at his time piece.

He could still hear his wife busting around the kitchen, talking to herself. A moment later she was rushing into the room, her bag tucked under her arm as she fought with her hair.

"Oh!" she cried out as she let her bag drop to the ground. "I promised Harry I'd bring in some files for him, God, I don't even know where they are," she groaned peering around the sitting room which was littered with her paperwork from the night before.

"Do you want me to…?"

"No, you can go ahead, I don't know how long I'm going to be," she muttered, pausing her furious search long enough to peck him on the lips. "I'll see you tonight. Try not to take too many housepoints away today,"

He smirked as he stepped into the fireplace, catching a glimpse of her darting from the room and heading towards the staircase. Throughout the day, Severus pondered the morning. Hermione had turned the sitting room into sort of a makeshift office, making it nearly impossible for her to find anything when she needed it. Her birthday was coming up, he remembered. He had been thinking about extending his own study to include a workspace for her…but her mess was something he didn't think he'd be able to look at all night. He decided that he would just magically add onto the house a room beside his own, where she could work and make all the mess she wanted to without him knowing about it. He formed most of the plans in his head, knowing he would have to wait for the last moment to actually do anything. Hermione would certainly notice the addition of a door in the hallway.

Severus had planned on spending a night with her, doing whatever she wanted for her birthday, but Harry had written him a letter saying they were going to have a party for Hermione at his house. Severus hated parties. But it was for her. He informed Harry of his plans and how he would need time away from the party in order to complete them. Harry agreed to tell him when Hermione arrived at the house so Severus could sneak in and complete her gift.

On the morning of her birthday, she was awake before him, humming merrily around the kitchen.

"Happy birthday," he said as he watched her put a plate away.

"Thanks,"

The smile on her face was absolutely beautiful. She was beaming as he pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips against hers. For as long as he lived, he was sure he would never get used to feeling her lips against his. She wasted no time intensifying the action until they were both clutching desperately at one another. They had not yet made that last step as husband and wife, wanting to take things slow after everything that had happened, but both were aware of the tension building between them. Severus was in no rush, wanting Hermione to be the one to make the first move. He wouldn't do anything unless she was ready, but with every touch, they drew closer and closer to the edge of control.

She pulled away, cheek flushed and eyes flashing.

"So, what did you get me?" she asked.

Severus rolled his eyes as he pulled away from her to get himself a cup of coffee.

"Who said I got you anything?" he taunted.

"I've been trying to figure it out for weeks, and I haven't come up with anything,"

Severus smirked at her, letting the subject drop. The two got ready together, and for once, Hermione was on time. That morning was chilly, and the two bundled up against the cold before stepping out into the street.

"I forgot to tell you, I'm going to be late tonight," he said as Hermione was telling him last minute instructions for the party, mostly reminding him of the time because he constantly became so engrossed in his work he didn't check a clock for hours on end.

"You're going to be late?" she asked, her face falling.

"I have some important things that need to be done beforehand, but I will get there, I promise,"

"All right," she said with a sigh, but he could tell she was still unhappy.

"I love you," he said as Hermione prepared to Apparate.

Even though he said he would be late to her birthday party wasn't enough to keep the smile off of her face as he said those three words to her. Rarely did Severus say them; she knew how he felt about her, and she knew how difficult it was for him to express his feelings, but the times he did say them made her beam at him.

"I love you too," she said quietly, Apparating with a smile on her face.

The day seemed to drag for Severus. He impatiently checked his timepiece between classes, willing the hours to go by faster. The day came to a close, and Severus knew Hermione would be home, getting ready. He paced his office, looking for Harry's face in the fire. He promised to contact him the moment she arrived. He didn't want to miss this for her sake; she seemed so put out that he was going to be late. The sudden burst of light behind him made him whirl around.

"Profes-er- Severus?"

"Is she there?" Severus asked, peering into the fire.

"Yeah, she just got here, Molly's talking to her in the hallway,"

"I'll be there in an hour," he replied, grabbing his traveling cloak.

Stepping into the fire, Severus arrived in his sitting room, not bothering to clean up the mess. Pulling out his wand, he instantly set to work, trying to rush the process; he didn't want to spend a moment away from her that he didn't need to. The wood was creaking as he expanded the house to accommodate the extra room, but Severus didn't pause. Once the room was formed, bookcases were added. Tons of bookcases were added. Severus knew she had a stack of books beside their bed, and now she would finally have a place to put them all. Next, a fireplace was added. The longest part was making the fireplace floo-network compatible. It was skill Severus had picked up as a Death Eater, in case he needed to make a quick escape. Floo networks were a tricky business to begin with, and only trained professionals knew how to properly construct one.

Once that was over, Severus summoned all of her books to fill the shelves, and as they paraded through the doorway, he set to adding a window behind the desk (a replication of his own). Crookshanks spent his time running through Severus' legs trying to catch the books as they neatly placed themselves in alphabetical order. As he replicated the couch in his office, he sent the copy into Hermione's study while entering the sitting room. With a sweep of his wand, all of the papers lifted into the air, sorted themselves, and then whizzed into the office. He could hear the drawers opening and closing as the papers found their new home.

Severus stood in the doorway, admiring his work. There was a couch to his immediate left, against the wall, beside the door. The next wall held the fireplace, bookshelves surrounding it. The far wall held the large widow (he noticed how she often stared out of the siting room window), and the wall to his right was solid bookcases. For a final touch, he replicated her favorite chair in the sitting room twice and placed them in front of the fireplace. With a sigh, Severus shut the door, made a key, and locked it with a click. He placed the key in a small red box before slipping the box into his pocket.

As he headed outside to Apparate, he checked his timepiece. Just under an hour. Perfect. In a flash he found himself on the steps of Grimmauld Place. He slipped in quietly, hearing a large group of people singing to Hermione. He was happy he had missed this part. Severus Snape did not sing, no matter the occasion. He made his way down the hall, just as the song ended. Standing in the doorway, he just managed to catch her leaning down and blowing out the candles on an enormous cake, littered with pink flowers and designs. As she straightened up, her eyes fell on him and she smiled. Molly instantly took charge over the cake, allowing Hermione a moment to slip away. She instantly sought him out, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I'm so glad you made it," she whispered against his ear.

"I told you I'd be here," he responded, pressing his lips against her neck.

When they pulled apart, Severus reached into his robes, pulling out the red box.

"Happy birthday," he said, seeing her eyes light up.

As she opened the box, Severus took a moment to study her. She had pulled her hair completely up, tying it in a sophisticated manner; more professional than how she normally did her hair for work. She was wearing a silver chain with a single pearl on it. She wore a blue dress that looked just like the dress she wore to Bill and Fleur's wedding. He noticed that she wore flats, knowing she hated heels unless it was for a very special occasion.

Severus watched as she picked the key out of the box and held it up to examine it.

"What does it go to?" she asked peering up at him.

"You'll find out when we go home," he said with a smirk as she pouted slightly.

"You're such a tease," she murmured, placing the key back in the box and replacing the lid.

"You look beautiful," he responded just low enough so she could hear him.

"Thank you," she replied smoothing out her dress. "It's the same dress I wore to Bill's wedding; I just altered the color,"

Before he could respond, they were ushering her to the table to open gifts. Severus stayed in the background of things, but kept his eyes locked on her for the remainder of the night. She laughed with her friends as everyone caught up with each other – they all had been too busy to see each other for a few weeks. Teddy was obsessed with Hermione; every time his parents tried to take him away, he screeched until he was back in Hermione's arms. She seemed more than happy to hold the boy on her lap throughout the night, and Severus felt a pang in his chest as he realized just how beautiful she looked holding a child. The thought of starting a family had never even crossed his mind. One step at a time, he reminded himself. They hadn't even explored the physical aspects of their relationship yet, they certainly didn't need to be discussing children.

"She's very happy, you know," Remus said leaning on the wall beside him.

"I know," Severus replied, turning his eyes back to Hermione who was reading a card from George, which resulted in her screeching at him how inappropriate it was, but laughing none the less.

Severus knew that Remus was being kind to him because he had saved his life, and his wife's life, but because Hermione and he were very good friends. Severus stopped his thoughts, instead focusing on the moment. He watched as Hermione's hand reached out to pull the little red box closer to herself. She was anxious to get home; he could read it in her face.

Severus made small talk with Remus for most of the night, neither too fond of large gatherings. As the party began to die down, Hermione approached him, clutching the red box.

"Can we go home now?" she pleaded, biting her lip as she waited for an answer.

"If you're ready, we can go,"

In a flash she was saying goodbye to people, hugging them and thanking them while collecting her things. As she was saying goodbye, Tonks was smart enough to condense all of her things into one small bag that was nearly weightless. Molly insisted on giving Hermione cake, and after a few minutes of rejecting the offer, Hermione finally gave in, watching Molly expertly pack nearly a quarter of the cake for the two of them. Hermione held the bag and small box in one hand, and took Severus' as they left the house. He could see the excitement written all over her face as she gazed up at him. He smiled before Apparating them home. His heart was pounding as he followed her into the house. As he shut the door, she already had the key in her hand, looking at him expectantly.

"So what does this go to?"

He took her hand, pulling her down the hallway.

"Is that…is that door new?" she asked, looking up and down the hallway, trying to see if she somehow miscalculated.

"I told you that I had things to do tonight, and I would be late. This is what I was doing. Happy birthday,"

Hermione's eyes flashed from the door to his face before settling back on the door. Severus remained behind as she stepped forward, sliding the key into the lock, and turning it until a click echoed through the hallway. She pushed the door open, and Severus immediately knew she liked it as she gasped and threw her hands over mouth. He wanted her to go in, so stepping forward he pressed his hand to the small of her back, giving her a gentle push into the room.

"Severus…I…"

"You needed your own space to work, and a sitting room isn't a suitable place to do so. That and you were more unorganized than a first year's essay,"

"You built me a room," she stated, gazing around. "You built me a room for my birthday,"

"Do you like it?" he asked as she remained quiet for a long period of time.

"Like it? I love it, it's beyond perfect,"

She pulled him into her arms, pressing her lips eagerly against his, communicating just how much she did love that room. Before they could get carried away, Severus pulled away, showing her everything in the room and where everything was located. He never knew it was possible for a person to smile so much. After nearly an hour, the two made their way to the kitchen, digging into the cake Molly had given them.