A/N: It's December already... whoa. Thanks for all of the reviews! I am glad you are enjoying this story, and while many of you are ready to see Kingsley get his comeuppance, you're going to have to be very patient. Hermione is unbelievably upset with him and the Ministry, but is overwhelmed and overjoyed by Severus's return and will be focusing her attention there for a while. The news will start to spread in upcoming chapters, though, so her temper will peek through here and there.

- 6 -

After spending hours getting reacquainted with one another and exploring all of the changes their bodies had accrued throughout the years, the pair lay tangled up in each other's limbs as the first rays of sunlight appeared on the horizon. While Hermione placed several soft kisses to the violent scarring at his throat, Severus closed his eyes and enjoyed the sensation. After a moment, he slid one hand down her side and gently began stroking his fingertips over one of her stretch marks.

"Mmph," she sighed, stilling his hand with hers. "Don't point those out."

"You're the only one who can appreciate battle scars?" he asked.

The witch shook her head against his chest. "Those aren't from the War."

"I know," Snape murmured, "but that doesn't diminish their value."

Her cheeks heated at the statement, and she raised her head to look at him.

"You don't believe me?" he questioned in surprise. "You don't think that bearing a child is something to be honored?"

Blinking quickly, the woman lowered her mouth to his. A vibrant smile was on her face when she pulled back a moment later. "You really don't mind them?"

Severus smiled and cupped her cheek with his hand. "You are exceptionally beautiful, Hermione… and those marks only inspire me to worship you further."

"Merlin," she gasped before kissing him once again. "I would take you again if I weren't so exhausted."

"I would likely pass out halfway through," he groaned with a shake of his head.

"Well, we certainly can't have that," Hermione replied, patting his cheek. "You should get some sleep."

"As should you."

The witch placed her head back against his chest and exhaled loudly. "I don't want to sleep."

With a grunt of understanding, the wizard tightened his hold on her. "I'll still be here when you wake."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Okay," she whispered, closing her eyes. Fifteen minutes passed while she quietly listened to the beat of his heart, and when she realized that his breathing had not changed, she cleared her throat. "Severus?"

Exhaling slowly, the wizard squeezed her shoulder. "You're not sleeping."

"Neither are you," Hermione pointed out while she stretched her neck to view the clock on her bedside table. "There's really no point to it anyway. Brendan is usually up in an hour, and he'll be hungry, so I'll have to fix something for breakfast."

"Well, it was his birthday yesterday," Snape shrugged.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning there's leftover cake."

Her eyes widened slightly as she pushed onto her elbow. "Severus Snape, Mr. Disciplinarian, is suggesting cake for breakfast? E gads, someone alert the Prophet."

The man chuckled quietly. "We wouldn't want it to overshadow the 'returned-from-the-dead' debacle, now would we?"

"Ugh," she groaned, snuggling against his side. "They're going to be all over you."

"Unfortunately so," he agreed. "The Minister said he could only give me a few days' head start before he releases the hounds. I imagine I've exhausted any time I had to flee."

"Well, I'm glad you didn't run. And so is Brendan."

Severus gave a soft sigh and pressed his lips to the top of her head. "I was going to if I had found you living happily."

"It's not that I wasn't happy," the witch mumbled. "I've had my friends and plenty of support… and I've had Brendan. He gives me so much joy. But it was just… I didn't feel complete. There was a piece of me missing."

She glanced up at him briefly and then added, "But now it's back."

"Rather misshapen and worse for wear," he sighed.

Hermione smirked and ran her fingertips over his jaw. "Only slightly misshapen… and it still fits just fine."

"Thank the gods for that," the man grinned. "If that bloody snake had launched itself elsewhere…"

"Stop it," she laughed, smacking his chest. "I was being serious, and you're thinking about your penis."

"Well, if it's any consolation, my penis is only thinking about you."

"Severus!" she playfully admonished. "I suppose it is some consolation, yes, but I'm just happy to have you back. I would be happy even if you had parts missing."

"I wouldn't be," he grumbled. "I don't know what I would have done to pass the time."

A mischievous grin spread across her face as the witch propped herself up on an elbow. "I thought you said you spent it reading."

With a snort, he raised an eyebrow at her. "Yes, Hermione. I spent seven years locked in a room and did nothing but read a stack of books and think entirely pure thoughts about you."

"Hmmm," she purred, pressing her lips against his. "Someday you'll have to tell me about these less-than-pure thoughts you've had about me."

"Mmmperhaps," Snape replied as he smirked up at her. "And what about you? It's been nearly seven years. Why weren't there any men in your life?"

Hermione blew out a long breath as she pulled herself into a seated position. "Well, at first I really didn't have any time or energy –I had a baby and NEWTs to deal with— and once things started to calm down a bit, I really just didn't have the inclination. It never felt right. I mean, Brendan has plenty of male influences in his life and I made sure that he knew about you. Obviously, he's wanted some interaction with you, but I think that was because he wanted to know his father and not because he needed a stand-in father-figure. We were okay, just the two of us."

The wizard watched as she left the bed long enough to fetch a nightgown from her wardrobe and pull it over her head. When she returned to perch beside him, he slowly sat up and scooted backward to rest against the headboard. Clearing his throat, he rested one hand upon her thigh and waited until she looked to him. "I am sorry for leaving you in that position... but I think you've done a remarkable job."

"Well, I don't know if I would call it remarkable," she sighed while slipping her fingers between his, "but I've managed. Molly and Arthur insisted upon our living at the Burrow for a few years until we all thought I could handle it on my own. And I was incredibly lucky to find a job that I can do from home primarily."

"What is it that you do?"

She quirked a small smile. "I'm a junior editor for a reputable academic journal."

"Reputable," Severus murmured, narrowing his eyes. "Is it one with which I might be familiar?"

"Perhaps," the woman giggled while remembering the contents of an angry tirade he had once given regarding the editorial-ship of a few select Potions journals. "The Practical Potioneer."

As he grimaced, Hermione pulled on his hand. "Wait! Just listen. The former editor-in-chief—I believe you knew him as Old Dipshit McDuggins?– got the sack, oh, about four and a half years ago. You see, it turns out he had made some ridiculous declaration about never accepting or supporting the work of a young Potions Master who had contradicted his theory regarding the use of runespoor eggs for strengthening mental acuity. Well, it just so happens that that same contradictory Potions Master – who he claimed was of poor training and low moral fiber – not only sacrificed himself to bring down an evil tyrant bent on destroying the world as we know it, but was also responsible for a number of potion breakthroughs that have healed and or saved hundreds of witches and wizards over the past decade. Suddenly, a number of supposedly less-renowned journals were receiving attention for having published his work, leaving several to question just why the young Master had never graced the pages of Britain's premiere Potions journal."

The wizard snorted but kept his gazed locked onto her as he listened.

"And when an editorial in the Daily Prophet posed that very question, it led to a number of responses, including one anonymous letter –which may or may not have penned by that heroic, young Master's former assistant and secret lover – that gave an explicit explanation as to why The Practical Potioneer had committed the largest academic faux pas in recent history." The brunette inhaled deeply and shrugged her shoulders. "And then Dipshit McDuggins was out, a progressive-minded member of the editing team was selected to replace him as editor-in-chief, leaving an opening to be filled by an eager, enthusiastic, at-times-insufferable, know-it-all witch with the drive to eliminate the ridiculous boundaries existing in the academic realm."

"Hermione, I –"

She held up her hand. "Hold on, I haven't quite finished my story. A few weeks into her tenure at the Potioneer, this junior editor used what some have called her exceptional talent for badgering to convince the editorial board to peruse decades' worth of rejected and ridiculed proposals to determine whether something of value had been overlooked. Lo and behold, they came across three papers submitted by the heroic Potions Master that had been rejected and ignored. After consulting with a number of other Masters across Europe and the States, the board was able to validate his findings and unanimously recommended all three papers for publication. And… this is my favorite part… based upon his evidence, many of those Masters have been inspired to re-examine and rework the standard treatment for the mentally-addled, leading to a number of new draughts in clinical trial, many of which are presently showing significant promise."

Snape stared at her for several seconds before shaking his head in disbelief. "You did all of that?"

The woman smiled and nodded her head. "You're a brilliant man who deserves to have his work recognized. I knew that your ideas were worthwhile and needed to be shared. Besides, your name got me the job in the first place. I don't exactly have the degree of training they generally require, but the mention of my assistantship with you encouraged them to overlook it."

"Well, at least I managed to provide for my family in some means," he mumbled, still unable to fully comprehend everything she had done.

Hermione laughed softly and then leaned into him, kissing his lips. "You have no idea how happy I am that you just called us your family."

Inhaling sharply, the wizard threaded his fingers through her hair and held her firmly as he kissed her in return. With a soft moan, she sank against his chest and welcomed him into her mouth. Minutes later, they drew apart at the sound of a muffled creak.

"Mm," she whispered, patting his shoulder. "Bren's up."

"Ah."

Giving him a brief peck on the lips, the witch climbed off of the bed and snatched a robe off the back of a chair. While tossing it over her shoulders and tying it about her waist, she swept toward the door. She pulled it open just in time to catch her sleepy-eyed son by the shoulders and turn him around to face the opposite side of the hallway. "Loo first."

"Ohhkay, Mummy."

After watching the boy disappear into the bathroom, Hermione glanced back over her shoulder and smiled. "I'll take Brendan downstairs for breakfast. If you want to join us now, you're welcome to, but you can get some rest."

Spotting the bathroom door opening out of the corner of her eye, she raised one eyebrow at her son. "Hands?"

"Oh yeah," Brendan yawned, stepping back into the room to wash his hands.

Severus smirked slightly at the exchange and then cleared his throat. "I'll come down in a moment. I ought to use the loo myself."

"Well," she grinned, "Be sure to wash your hands when you do."