The school year passed quickly. Hermione went back to teaching, though she only ever returned to her own chambers to move her things to the dungeons. The whispers in the halls only lasted until the next teenage scandal emerged, and finally, they could just be.
Over Christmas break they both stayed at Hogwarts, spending most days curled up by the fire with a pile of books. Severus announced he had to go home for the day just before Spring term started. Hermione would miss him, but sent him off with a few kisses and an incentive or two to come back soon. He never did tell her what he went to do, but easily distracted her from asking.
Spring term they decided to make it public. They spoke to Minerva about it one afternoon and she gave them her blessing. They next told the other professors, who all readily accepted their relationship and congratulated them. Hermione's friends were all shocked, but supportive. Neville was still a bit shaky when Severus reached his hand out to him. Reluctantly, he took his hand and shook it, looking relieved that he escaped unscathed.
Harry clapped Severus hard on the back and congratulated him, even taking him a ways away from the party and telling him how happy he was for them – and also how Severus would deeply regret ever hurting her. Severus looked into his stern green eyes and nodded. His respect for Harry had only grown over the years, and he certainly would work hard to ensure Hermione was well kept and happy.
Luna didn't appear fazed. She said congratulations and then wandered off near the window mumbling about Nargles. Ginny seemed skeptical but wished them the best anyways. She later took Hermione by the arm and interrogated her. After loads of questions were answered, she seemed satisfied, and even gave Severus a hug at the end of the night. He was visibly shocked, but patted her on the back nonetheless.
Soon news had spread all over, articles had been written about them, pictures were taken when they were seen strolling through Hogsmeade, and it eventually made its way to Ron. Harry had written Hermione to let her know that Ron had heard. Surprisingly, he took it very well, expecting that they would have gotten together after their divorce had been finalized that winter. It wasn't long before Ron had met a girl who volunteered for the anger management classes. They seemed smitten with each other, and Hermione couldn't have been happier for him.
One day they were woken by Harry's patronus. Ginny had given birth to another son. This one named 'Albus Severus'. Severus's face was full of emotion at the honor. They went to visit as soon as they could. Arriving at St. Mungo's, Hermione immediately squealed and rushed over to hold the baby. Severus hung back and shook Harry's hand.
He watched with wonder as Hermione cooed over the baby, rocking him and kissing his tiny hand. She looked up at Severus, eyes shining.
"Come and hold him, Severus!" She said with a smile. He hung back, eyes wide.
"N…No, that's quite all right. You seem to be doing fine with it." He cleared his throat. Harry guided him forward. Hermione smirked up at him and held the tiny bundle out towards him. He looked at her, afraid.
"It's alright, you'll do fine." She whispered, nodding encouragingly. Severus swallowed hard and reached out, carefully cradling the baby. Looking down, he was instantly awestruck. Albus was perfect. Rosy cheeks, unruly black hair and… he gasped when the baby opened its eyes and gurgled at him. Those stunning green eyes.
He eventually lifted his eyes to Hermione's and saw her smiling lovingly at him, eyes swimming. He stared at her, imagining her pregnant, imagining what their dark haired child would look like and felt his love for her grow to new heights.
Finally, the end of year feast was upon them and they were both anxious to spend the summer together, away from prying eyes and the students. After everything had been cleared away and they were back in his chambers, he announced he had a surprise for her. She smiled radiantly at him as he stood and retrieved a small wooden box from his nightstand.
"It doesn't have to be serious if you don't want it to be." His face was twisted with insecurity and he kept fidgeting with the box instead of giving it to her. She giggled and lunged forward to snatch it out of his hand. Opening it carefully, she saw a simple key tied with a red ribbon. Looking up at him questioningly, he sank down on the sofa beside her and lifted it out.
"I sold my cottage over winter break." He said quietly.
"That's where you went? You could have told me!" She said. His gaze dropped to the key as he flipped it over and over in his fingers.
"That's not all I did. I found a house in London as well." His voice dropped lower and lower. Hermione's heartbeat quickened. A smile began creeping onto her face.
"And?" She breathed. He finally looked up at her, eyes full of uncertainty.
"I bought it. For us." He whispered. She stared at him for a moment, shocked. His eyes grew wide.
"It… it doesn't… I don't… I mean…" He searched for words and stood, cursing himself internally for being so stupid. Of course she wouldn't want to live with him. Suddenly Hermione squealed and leapt up to embrace him. His trembling arms wrapped around her.
"Severus, I'm so happy! Of course I'll move in with you!" She cried. Suddenly, she pulled back, her face wary. "That is what you mean, right? It's not just a key to visit?" She said quickly. She was rewarded with one of those rare smiles.
"Yes, I'd like you to live with me, Hermione. These past months have been wonderful, and I don't wish to be separated from you ever again." Her eyes misted a bit and she smiled brightly.
She embraced him tightly once more and began ravishing him with kisses. Soon the box and key were forgotten as they shed pieces of clothing and moved towards the bedroom.
Hermione couldn't be more delighted with the house. It was an elegant exterior, white with shutters and window boxes and a little porch. Severus looked a bit out of place standing outside, unlocking the door, she thought with a smirk. Inside it was even more beautiful. A large, rustic kitchen; formal dining room; warm sitting room complete with a huge fireplace and overstuffed furniture (not to mention shelf upon shelf of books); it had four bedrooms and 2.5 baths and was just perfect.
The summer saw them happily cohabitating in privacy away from the castle. Hermione and Severus made a little garden in the backyard and created a terrace where they could sit with iced tea and look at their neat rows of herbs growing. Every morning they woke up and made breakfast together. He often would pull her into his lap while they ate, both reading the paper and commenting on one story or another.
Their days were spent gardening, reading, working on research or lesson plans for the upcoming year. They could often be seen strolling through the weekend farmer's markets holding baskets full of groceries, Hermione smiling from ear to ear and Severus…well, people commonly remarked that he looked much more pleasant; though he could still snarl with the best of them.
One day, Hermione woke early and decided to go pick up a special breakfast from the bakery down the road. She crept out of bed, making sure Severus didn't stir. Selecting a new blue sundress (Severus had gifted her a salve that could hide her 'mudblood' scar for up to 24 hours, and she had celebrating by buying short sleeved tops and dresses), she grabbed her bag and snuck out the door.
The walk to the bakery was beautiful. It was a rare day in London, blue sky visible everywhere, sun shining. She smiled at everyone she met and thought about how inconceivably perfect her life had become. It stunned her how much better life could be. These days she woke up and fell asleep smiling. She stopped just outside the bakery to lean down and smell a bouquet of roses from a stand.
"Hermione?" A familiar voice sounded behind her. She tensed immediately. Standing slowly, she turned and saw Ron, arm in arm with a pretty blond woman. He was looking at her anxiously, biting his lip.
"Ronald. Hi." She said nervously. He nodded and smiled a bit.
"Oh this is Libby, by the way." He gestured to the woman beside him. Libby reached out her hand and shook Hermione's.
"Nice to meet you, Libby." She smiled. The woman nodded and looked questioningly at Ron. There was an awkward silence while Ron just looked at Hermione. Just as she was about to say she needed to go, he leaned over and whispered something to Libby. She nodded and continued walking down the street away from them. Hermione raised an eyebrow at him.
"She knows what I did, just doesn't know it was you. I figured you'd want it that way." He said, eyes still intensely on hers. She nodded.
"I appreciate that. I'm happy for you." Ron dropped his gaze and began fiddling with a small box in his hand.
"I've been thinking about proposing, but I can't quite bring myself to do it." He said quietly. She hesitated a moment before reaching out and touching his hand. He jerked his head up to her, looking startled.
"You should do it. Harry has told me all about your relationship and I think she'd be very happy with you." She said softly. Ron's brow furrowed.
"But I couldn't live with myself if I ever did anything like what I did to you again. It's hard enough already."
"You won't, Ronald. That was under extraordinary circumstances and I was involved too. It doesn't excuse it, but I did a lot of stupid things." Ron shook his head.
"You were perfect. I was the stupid one. From the beginning." Hermione tilted her head, feeling sorry for him for the millionth time.
"I read that you and Severus are together now." He said, carefully saying Severus's name. Hermione nodded.
"Yes, we live just down the street." Ron looked where she pointed and his face turned sad.
"I should probably be going." He said, clearing his throat. "But I'm happy for you too. You look happy, Hermione. It's really great to see." He smiled at her, and she smiled back. After a moment, he nodded and walked off.
"Good-bye, Ronald." She called. He turned and waved.
"Bye, 'Mione." With that he turned and disappeared into the crowd. Hermione smiled after him, happy to have seen him.
When she arrived home, Severus was pacing the sitting room. Once she shut the door, his snapped up and he rushed over to her, pulling her into his arms.
"Where were you? I was worried." He whispered.
"I just ran to the bakery for some breakfast." She said, holding up the bag. He looked a bit sheepish as he looked at the bag. "I saw Ronald while I was out." She said, looking at him cautiously.
"What?" He hissed. She put her hand on his cheek.
"Calm down. It was fine. He was with his girlfriend, and just happened to walk past me. He seems to be doing well. It was all fine. I promise." She stared into his eyes, trying to convince him that everything was fine.
He nodded and kissed her hand, letting her lead him to the breakfast table and loading up a plate with pastries as he poured the tea.
One warm night in July, Hermione walked down the stairs and froze at the landing. Severus stood by the door, dressed in a sharp dark grey suit, crisp white button up and shiny black dress shoes. He had asked her to dinner that night – at a muggle restaurant no less, and told her to dress to the nines. He certainly didn't disappoint.
Severus stood, nervously fidgeting at the door until he heard her footsteps on the stairs. He looked up and his breath caught. Her hair was pulled back in a loose chignon, and she was wearing a long, dark blue satin dress that hugged her in all the right places. She was a vision.
They finally made it to the restaurant and were seated, holding each other's hands and gazing into each other's eyes in the candlelight. Their food was delicious, and Severus even refrained from nitpicking the muggle's behaviors and lack of magic. It was a wonderful night. She sat back with a contented sigh from her chocolate mousse.
"That was delicious!" She exclaimed. Severus smirked warmly at her and cleared his throat.
"Hermione. There's something I've been meaning to ask you." He said, trying hard to keep his voice steady.
"What is it?" She smiled sweetly back at him. He took a deep breath, pushing the negative thoughts out of his mind and sank down to a knee beside her. She gasped and her eyes grew wide. A hush fell over the restaurant.
"My dearest Hermione, it's been such a long road for us. There have been ups and downs but one thing has remained constant – my love for you. In all the world there is so much uncertainty but I know without a doubt that I don't want to live a day without you. You have bewitched me, body, mind, and soul. I love you, Hermione Jean Granger. Please do me the absolute honor of becoming my wife." He kept his eyes on hers as he opened a black velvet box to reveal a stunning antique ring. She gasped.
"Oh, Severus." She breathed. "There is nothing in this world that would make me happier than to call you my husband. Yes!" She cried, with a huge smile. Severus's face was overcome with emotion as he rose to pull her into a tight embrace. The room burst into applause as he pulled away, looking down and planting the large, oval cut ring onto her finger.
That night they made love and spent hours curled up together afterwards, talking about when they wanted the wedding and what it would be like. Later, when Severus fell asleep beside her, still holding her hand, she smiled. She was so happy. This is how it is supposed to be, she thought. She closed her eyes and drifted off, envisioning walking towards Severus in a long white dress, flowers falling around them.
The next day, Hermione was plating their eggs when Severus suddenly folded the paper roughly and threw it to the other side of the table. She looked at him curiously. He shook his head and poured their tea. They ate in relative silence, and Hermione worried. Was he regretting proposing to her? What had he seen in the paper?
After he had finished, he asked if she'd like to join him in the garden. She declined, saying she'd wash the dishes first. He offered to help but she shooed him out the door and turned back to the table. Moving quickly, she picked up the paper and opened it. Her heart sank as she took in the picture of Severus on a bended knee and the name "Rita Skeeter" just below it.
The Golden Trio No More!
By: Rita Skeeter
Saturday night, I had the painful task of watching Severus Snape, ex death-eater, propose to Hermione Granger, former member of the golden trio. She surprisingly agreed which makes one think she hates Ron Weasley, her unfortunate ex-husband, so much that she would so quickly enter into another marriage.
Rumor has it that she even committed adultery several times with the same Severus Snape while at Hogwarts. What sort of lessons are they teaching our children at such an establishment?
Minerva McGonagall could not be reached for comment but several students did confirm that they've been seen holding hands in the halls.
One can only imagine the pain poor Ron Weasley must be feeling.
Hermione threw down the paper in disgust.