So sorry I've fallen behind again, but the new semester has started already :( My break was super short. Well, enjoy this anyway and leave your thoughts!
Around the beginning of December, Severus and Hermione were invited to an award ceremony for services performed during the war. Severus immediately protested against going.
"This is a major honor, we have to go," Hermione said as Severus walked to his study and sat at his desk.
"I am not going to have a crowd of people stare at me,"
"You don't even have to go on stage; they're just going to read your name out,"
"Then why do I have to go? All they're going to be there for is to try and get a picture of the two of us,"
"We can't hide from the public forever, and this is as good a time as any to go into public as a couple. We haven't done anything together in public yet, at least not something this major,"
"I am not going to put on a show for those people,"
"Then can you go for me?"
Severus knew he was lost at that point. The sweetness in the tone of her question did him in.
"Fine, but I'm not getting dressed up,"
"Thank you!" she cried, jumping up and darting around the desk to kiss him on the cheek.
For Severus, that day came sooner than he wanted it to. His house was decorated to the brim with Christmas lights and knickknacks, but Hermione was proud of them, so he was happy. He spent most of Christmas Eve with Hermione, enjoying her company and exchanging gifts. They both had opted for books again, just like last Christmas. They were on the couch together; she was sitting between his legs, her back against his chest as his arms were wrapped around her. His black clothing contrasted dramatically with her red sweater, he noticed, as she picked some red fuzz from his sleeve.
"I'm so happy that we're having a boring Christmas Eve," she said quietly as Crookshanks attacked an ornament on the tree.
"I didn't realize you were so bored," he replied with a smile.
"Last year we were in the middle of a war, fighting for our lives while keeping our relationship a secret,"
"You left out the part where I took you to a graveyard and left you there with your friends,"
She laughed in his arms.
"You had to; I can't hold that over your head,"
"Do we have to go tonight?" he asked, brushing his lips across her neck.
"Yes, we do, so I suggest you stop drinking so much,"
"I haven't had that much," he responded, looking over at the almost empty bottle of firewhiskey.
"You're not as slick as you used to be,"
He was going to respond, but Minerva's Patronus suddenly bounded into the living room.
"I'm so sorry to disturb you," the cat spoke. "But if it wouldn't be too much trouble, could you please come to the school? I need help controlling these imbeciles trying to set up, I could use you,"
The cat disappeared, and Severus groaned, letting his head fall back. Hermione pried herself from his arms, much to his dislike.
"Go and help her, I have to get ready anyway," Hermione said, scooping Crookshanks up to save the tree.
Severus heaved himself off of the couch, kissed Hermione with a sigh, before stepping into the fireplace. When he entered the Great Hall, he walked into pure chaos. Minerva was running around, shouting at people who were setting up decorations, and pulling Severus into the process. He had wished more than anything that he had stood his ground against Hermione; this was going to be a frivolous affair that Severus would undoubtedly hate. As he leaned against the wall watched people rush about, he couldn't help but think about his wife, sitting home, and how he wished he was back on the couch with her, the room lit with nothing but the firelight.
The long tables in the Great Hall were gone, replaced by dozens of smaller and round tables. The sky was full of stars, and the room was dim. The decorations were all either dark blue or silver. Rolling his eyes, Severus pushed off of the wall and exited the room, heading down to his private labs. He didn't want to brew anything, just read for a few moments before the terrible event started. In what seemed like a blink of an eye, the clock tolled loudly, signaling that it was eight o' clock. Sighing deeply, he closed his book and began the trek back up the stairs where he could hear many voices intermingling. Severus didn't expect the sight he was met with when he reached the top of the stairs.
Hermione was standing a small distance from the Great Hall doors in a black floor length gown with her hair piled high on top of her head. Severus stood for a moment, watching her nervously fiddle with her bracelet as she watched a steady stream of people enter the room. Feeling severely underdressed, Severus descended the stairs. Hermione caught sight of him and met him at the bottom.
"Hi," she greeted quietly, nervously smoothing her gown.
He took her hands, and she raised her eyes to his.
"You look amazing, stop fussing over yourself,"
She looked away from him, with a smile on her lips and red cheeks.
"Well," he sighed, tucking her arm into his. "Let's get this over with,"
Within minutes they were seated at a table with Harry and the Weasleys. Hermione made small talk, while Severus sat back with his arms crossed over his chest. He studied the room closely, watching each person enjoying themselves. Severus wished he was back home.
Soon, a man from the Ministry was in the front of the room speaking about the war. Severus watched Hermione shift uncomfortably in her chair as her eyes flitted around the room. The past should be left in the past, as far as he was concerned, and many people had horrifying memories of that day that this man was dragging back up to the surface of their minds. By the end of his speech, most were crying, the others looking grim. Hermione held her napkin tightly in her hands and her face had lost all color. Severus had forced himself not to listen, silently reciting potion ingredients to himself. As the man started calling out names for their good deeds in the war, Severus took Hermione's hand, forcing her to release the napkin.
"Are you okay?" he asked quietly, peering into her face.
"I'm fine," she said, forcing a smile onto her face and giving his hand a small squeeze.
The names went on and on, and when Severus' name came up, there was gasping among the clapping, not that Severus was surprised. Hermione placed her free hand over his, giving him a smile while Arthur patted him on the back. The meal dragged on, and soon the tables were cleared away so people could dance and socialize. Severus stayed mostly in the darker areas of the room, while people insisted on talking to Hermione throughout the night. Severus let her have her moment; she deserved it after everything she had been through the past two years. Eventually, she managed to break away from the crowd to find him leaning against the wall.
"Why isn't anyone talking to you? You did just as much as the rest of us," she grumbled as she fixed her hair.
"Because everyone thinks I'm a murderer," he replied casually.
"Oh, stop, they do not all think that,"
Severus pulled her into his arms, and slowly began moving her in time to the music. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck with a sigh.
"Thank you for coming tonight, even if this was absolutely terrible," she murmured to him.
He smiled and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek.
"You wanted me to be here,"
"Thank you for coming anyway,"
"You're welcome,"
The night dragged on, and eventually, people began to go home. Some people eventually did talk to Severus, and he awkwardly accepted their thanks before they darted away. As the ceremony and dinner was finally drawing to a close, Hermione slipped her shoes off, sighing at the relief.
"Ready to go home?" he asked, leaning his elbows on the table.
"More than ready," Hermione sighed.
The two stood and headed to the doors just as Minerva was heading in.
"Severus, I don't mean to be such a nuisance, but could you come to my office for a moment?"
Severus didn't want to go, but Hermione pulled her hand from his with a smile.
"It's fine," she said seeing the look on his face. "I'll wait for you here,"
Severus followed Minerva up the stairs and to her office. He handled meaningless school affairs with her about starting a defense club which he was to be the head of. Once he was allowed to go, Severus found himself rushing down the staircase, anxious to be back home with his wife. Entering the Great Hall, he found the Christmas decorations and tables replaced back to their proper places. He found Hermione sitting on top of one of the tables, legs crossed with her arms resting on her knees. She had obviously changed her clothes, wearing jeans and a black sweater. He approached her, seeing her gazing at the large tree behind the staff table.
"I had forgotten how beautiful the castle is at Christmas time," she said quietly, climbing from atop the table to take a seat at the end of the bench.
Severus sat across from her, seeing her smile at him in the dark. They sat there for a long while in silence before Hermione stood, signaling that she was ready to go. Just as Severus reached her side, the clock suddenly chimed, causing Hermione to look up.
"What time is it?" she asked.
Severus pulled out his time piece and quickly glanced at the time.
"Midnight," he answered, tucking it back into his robes.
When he looked into her face, he saw her smiling gently at him happiness filling her eyes, and he was sure he had never seen a more blissful woman. Before he could ask her what she was smiling about, she spoke.
"Happy Anniversary," she whispered.
With the chaos of the night, Severus forgot that Christmas was the next day.
"Happy Anniversary," he managed to say as she pulled him down to kiss him.
Severus didn't know how long they stood in the Great Hall wrapped in one another's arms, but it was a moment he was sure he would never forget. He pulled away from her and reached into his travelling cloak. Hermione was about to speak when he procured a box.
"I hope you didn't build me another room because I can tell you right now, I don't need one," she said with a smile.
"No, it's not a room," he smiled, while handing her the box.
Hermione smirked at him as she opened the box. Lowering her eyes, her smirk disappeared, replaced with a look of shock.
"Severus," she said quietly, not drawing her eyes away.
"I thought it was about time you had a real ring,"
"It's beautiful," she whispered.
Severus took the box from her hands and pulled the ring out, taking her hand in his. The ring was a simple silver band with a single diamond – just large enough to be noticed, but not large enough to not be overbearing. He gently slipped the ring onto her finger, until it rested snuggly against the silver band Dumbledore had given her as a ring. For a moment, the two simply starred at the ring resting on her finger. Hermione flexed her finger, twisting her hand this way and that allowing the lights from the tree to strike the diamond.
"Severus, it's perfect,"
Her arms were around his neck a moment later and before he could embrace her for a satisfying amount of time, she pulled completely away from her.
"I got you something too," she said, appearing slightly nervous. "Don't be upset, but I took your notes for that potion you invented,"
She grabbed her bag and began digging through the contents. Severus knew she had cast an Undetectable Extension Charm seeing as she managed to stuff her entire dress into the bag.
"Ah," she said, pulling out her hand with a piece of paper.
Severus took the paper from her hands, unfolding it.
"It's a patent, I submitted the paperwork about a month ago, and it finally went through,"
"How did you get the paperwork through with my name?" he asked.
"Being a war heroine who works for the Ministry does have its perks," she said smirking at him. "Oh, and part two of your gift,"
Severus was handed another sheet of paper. His eyes widened.
"I have a meeting with the health department?"
"The president of the health department, to be exact. If he likes what he sees, your potion is going to be on the market very soon,"
In a flash he pulled her to his body, sighing deeply into her hair.
"Thank you,"
"You're welcome," she said with a smile in her voice.
After safely tucking the papers into his robes, Severus took Hermione's hand, leading her towards the fireplace.
"Let's go home,"
She smiled in response before stepping into the fireplace.
Despite drinking a lot the night before, Severus was still awake as Hermione breathed softly beside him, a single candle lit on his side of the bed. Lost in his own thoughts, he barely registered the movement beside him. Hermione had become restless, and only when she began to moan in her sleep did Severus turn to look at her. Her body was rigid and her face warped with fear.
"Hermione," Severus said quietly.
He watched her eyes flashing wildly behind her eyelids as her breath was coming out in gasps. Hermione's hands tightened on the sheets as Severus sat up.
"Hermione," he said louder, grabbing her shoulders to wake her.
"No!" she cried out, fighting against his hands and shoving against his chest.
A moment later, her eyes snapped opened. Severus hadn't seen that much terror in her eyes since the war. He didn't have words for her, and instead lifted her from the bed and into his arms. She clung to him tightly, taking deep breaths. It wasn't until an hour later, in the dark, that she spoke.
"I'm fine, don't worry," she insisted without him asking.
"Hermione, this has been the worst one yet," he replied.
The two of them periodically had had dreams of the war, some worse than usual. Hermione tended to have more than he did, and he usually held her until she fell asleep.
"That man tonight, at dinner, talking about the war…I couldn't help but think about her. It's like I was reliving that day in Malfoy Manor, I could still feel her on top of me with the knife on my skin," she whispered.
Severus pulled her closer to his body. He had once asked her if he could look at her memories after she awoke from a nightmare, but she refused. Severus could see how she struggled with the memories and wished he could help bear the burden. When Severus usually had nightmares, they were usually about losing Hermione during the war. When he awoke, she was usually already awake. They would say no words, but Severus would not be able to sleep again unless his arms were wrapped tightly around her, ensuring the fact that she was really there with him.