Disclaimer: I do not own anything that you might recognize in this story.

A/N: First huge, have me jumping up and down, gigantic thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story. The reviews are like coffee to this caffeine addict, and with each lovely dark smooth shot of espresso the love grows, as do the words in the next chapter…

The ideas about Verity made me laugh. I especially love her as a man! We will find out soon, not just yet though!

Also thanks to everyone who has added this story to their favorites and alerts, thank you so much.

THANK YOU ALL!

And now… a completely Severus and Hermione Chapter. Enjoy!

Hermione and Severus apparated into an overgrown yard that looked like it had once been well loved and meticulously landscaped. They were standing next to an old elm tree that had a swing hanging from a large branch. The climbing ivy had grown over the back door that led in from the yard and the roses that had once been the pride of her mother's garden were overgrown with weeds. The grass was halfway up Hermione's calf in some spots as she silently led Severus to the door leading into the kitchen.

As Hermione approached the ivy covered door she started to think about the reasons she hadn't been to her childhood home in over two years. Technically the house was now hers and, while she hadn't been able to be in the home, she had never been able to bring herself to selling it either.

Hermione gave Severus a pleading look and he took out his wand and sent a severing charm at the ivy on the door. Hermione set to kicking it aside as it fell at her feet and then with his whispered 'alohomora' the locks on the door all clicked. She was about to turn the handle when she started to feel panicked. She quickly turned around and slunk to the ground, leaning against the door for support. No matter how hard she had tried to fight it, tired of crying so much already and not wanting to subject Severus to any more of her tears, she just couldn't stop it. The tears came, running down her cheeks as her fingers began to twitch slightly in her lap.

Severus watched as she crumpled into a heap at the door, sliding down to sit atop the ivy she had just cleared away. He had heard mention that her parents had passed but wasn't sure if that was the reason that she was so upset. It was obvious though that no one had been to the house in some time. The yard looked deplorable and he shuddered to think what state the house was in. His main concern was that upon entry into the house, should Hermione decide she could actually go in, they would find the house had been ransacked.

"Hermione." He walked over and willed her to look up at him so that he would know she was listening. "Why don't I give you a minute? I can go in and make sure that it is safe, that no one has broken in or anything and maybe clear away some of the dust. You can take a moment to collect yourself." He really hoped she would take him up on that offer, because he really wasn't good at consoling crying women. He had never been good at it when he was the Head of Slytherin and had had to deal with crying hormonal teenage witches and found it even more difficult when he had no real idea why the witch was crying. To make matters worse, he found that he wanted to be able to console her, but that alone scared him, not to mention the fact that he was afraid that he would say something to make it worse.

Hermione just looked up at the man standing in front of her. He looked so at odds in her childhood backyard, with overgrown hedges and pale yellow roses behind him in the light of the setting sun. His dark robes were whipping around him in the wind and he looked to her like a dark angel; perhaps he was.

"Severus. Merlin, I am such a mess. No, I'm fine really," she told him as she extended her hand for him to help her up. "Thank you. Why don't we go in? I can see if I can't make us some tea and you could maybe check the house for me? I hadn't even thought of intruders but now that you mention it… It really would make me feel better if you were to have a look around." She gave him a shy little smile as he pulled her up. She stumbled a little, falling lightly into his arms and blushed as she quickly found her footing and reached for the door handle, preceding him into the kitchen.

She toggled the light switch a few times, trying to get light in the kitchen before Severus cast a variation on 'lumos', lighting the kitchen with little balls of light that hung at varied levels throughout the room; a few over the sink and stove, and several over the table in the center of the room.

"Thank you Severus. I so hardly used magic here. Just that last time really. And well…Thank you. It's lovely. I don't know that variation," she told him, trying to avoid talking about her parents at all, "I suppose the powers off, likely the water as well. At least you can cast 'aguamenti' for the tea."

Severus briefly wondered what the last time was that she had used magic in the house was and why it seemed to upset her. He had never seen her so flustered before and had to admit to himself that there was a part of him, that macho testosterone fueled part, that enjoyed the idea of a flustered Hermione who might need his help and his protection in simple day to day things, like lighting a room. It was one thing to be called on when there was sure danger, he was a spy and a skilled duelist, but Severus had never really been needed by a woman simply because he was a man that she trusted and wanted around. "It's nothing," he told her.

"Oh my... It's such a mess. I'll clean up in here, if you don't mind…" she quickly busied herself, using her hands to clear away dust.

"Of course, I will just check through the house for you, alright? I will be back shortly," he told her, happy to give her a few minutes to get herself together.

Aside from the dust and the stale air, the house was in rather nice condition. It certainly wasn't his taste and he didn't gather it really suited Hermione either. As Severus walked through the house, which appeared to have been untouched in some time, with no signs that anyone had been in it, he took note of the signs of her happy childhood and couldn't help think that her life never should have had so much darkness in it. He made his way through the family room and noticed that the walls were filled with shelves upon shelves of books; apparently her reading habit was a predisposition. There was a small shelf next to a chintz loveseat that held an assortment or paperback romances and crime novels that he couldn't picture Hermione reading and so he assumed they were her parents. The rest of the shelves were covered in various academic texts and encyclopedias covering a wide array of subjects. He snorted, thinking of Hermione using her summer's home as an opportunity to keep up her muggle studies. She really was a know-it-all swot.

Above the fireplace hung a family portrait in which Hermione should have sat on a white bench in a simple green shift dress with her parents standing behind her; her mother's head was tilted and resting lightly on her father's shoulder. He could see where Hermione got her hair from. Her mother kept her hair shoulder length and had pulled the hair back from her face and clipped it in the back with a barrette, but there was no disguising the fullness. Her mother's hair though was closer to a blonde color, though there was no telling if it was a natural color or not. However, judging by her daughter he doubted that she was the type of vain woman to spend her days in salons gossiping while she waited for her color to set. Her father had dark brown hair and Hermione seemed to have inherited much of her facial features from him. Hermione though, looked so young and carefree. She was the girl he remembered from his teaching days at Hogwarts and yet there was something so false about it. She must have been fifteen or sixteen when the portrait was taken and by then her friendship with Potter had put her in the middle of a growing war.

He pulled himself from his thoughts and moved to the stairs that led up to the bedrooms. He checked each room, stopping first at a room that was simple in décor and showed no clear indication of gender. It was decorated in warm creams and dark greens. He actually quite liked the room, the furniture was in the elegantly curving lines and sultry deep woods of the Chippendale Style which suited his tastes much more than that of the French Baroque that filled such wizarding homes like the Malfoy's and Parkinson's.

The next room he could tell immediately was Hermione's. The walls were painted in a pale yellow and all the furniture looked to be French Country. There were florals everywhere he looked and truly there would have been no indication of the woman who belonged to the room if it hadn't been for the books lining the walls, the Gryffindor throw on the bed and a small, old iron cauldron that sat on her nightstand, holding what looked to have been roses at some point. He could tell with a quick glance that the cauldron had been thoroughly used for more than just holding flowers and had apparently been retired into life as a vase. He wondered if she was especially fond of potions or if it was simply a reminder of the magical world when she was home.

Severus backed out of her room and continued down the hall, finding a linen closet full with fluffy towels and extra toiletries, including a basket that was overflowing with toothpastes, tooth brushes and floss. The door next to that was the bathroom; it was simple and clean with a large claw footed tub. The door after that led to the master bedroom and adjoining bathroom. The room itself was quite large and had an antique vanity that seemed to take up a place of honor in the room, with tiny crystal bottles of perfume and various other cosmetics peppering its surface. Affixed to the mirror were several photos of Hermione and one of her parents at what looked to be a Christmas Party. The house was what a home should be. Or it would have been if it weren't for the layers of dust that came from years of abandonment.

Severus made his way back down stairs, stopping off in a room he had missed on his way up. The den was warm and masculine, likely her father's hideaway. There was a large desk in the corner with a computer thing on it and a large leather chair behind it. Two leather club chairs took a place of prominence in the room, facing a small fireplace and built in book shelves. In the corner was a small black piano and Severus briefly wondered if Hermione played. He could only assume she did as there didn't seem to be a challenge she would back down from, and if there was something there that she could learn, she would. He filed it away for future reference.

When Severus returned and found Hermione in the kitchen she had opened the windows above the sink and was wiping down the counters. She asked him if he wouldn't mind allowing her the use of his wand for just a moment. He was momentarily unsure. He really didn't feel comfortable being wandless but he found himself trusting in the witch before him and so he slowly handed it over.

Hermione relished the feel of the wand in her hand. It wasn't a perfect match but it felt warm and sent a tingle up her arm. It was so much better than the heavy feeling she associated with the wand she had been using for years. She wasn't sure why she had kept Bellatrix's wand, and not many people knew where the wand had originated. She had always assumed that Severus had noticed the familiar looking wand. It was dark, in color and aura and felt heavy on her soul. Severus' wand felt familiar, if not right, but comfortable. "Thank you," she whispered.

Severus heard her incant 'igneus fervens aguamenti' and the sink was filled with steaming water.

"Interesting," he told her with the quirk of a brow as she passed the wand back to him, slightly sad at the loss, "Indeed. I do not believe that can be found in the standard book of spells. Where ever did you come across it?" He thought it quite handy actually. He was used to having to heat his water to the desired temperature gradually and he could tell from the steam billowing towards the open window that the water shot out of his wand was already near scalding temperatures.

Hermione blushed and chewed her lip for a moment. "It's um… well… I created it. Living in a tent for months at a time, boiling hot water was a bit of a necessity and we didn't always want an open flame around. Heating charms are rather a waste of time for heating amounts of water larger than a glass. Harry's socks." She could tell by his smirk that he was amused. "You see, Harry's socks were going to suffocate me if they didn't get cleaned and I was so tired, and I don't know what made me think of it, but then I was just doing it and there you have it; near boiling water." She started to chew her lip again, realizing that she had likely told him much more than he cared to learn about the state of Harry's anything. "It wasn't a big deal really."

He watched her with amusement and a touch of something else he couldn't quite place; not pity, but something like it. This woman should be proud of her spell work and anything else she decided to do. She should be re-working the Ministry or re-writing the textbooks. Instead she was blushing rather beautifully with embarrassment about the fact that he knew she had created a spell and with no real thought either.

It was a good spell. It was clever, and useful. Not some ridiculous thing to charm your nails pink or something as equally ridiculous and superfluous. "Hermione, it is a wonderful spell. Simple and smart. Something completely useful and original. It is something I have before wondered on and never took the time to work out. You shouldn't shy away from your accomplishments. You earned them," he told her earnestly.

"Erm… yes, well… Thank you Severus. The tea is almost done. I was just going to wash a few cups." She quickly set about her task, pulling a clean dish rag from a drawer beside the sink and finding a half empty bottle of soap under the sink. In no time she had two cups of tea on the table.

'I am afraid I don't have cream or sugar, though it really doesn't matter, and we both know you take yours black." She smiled at him; it was a comfortable setting for her. Tea with Severus was almost normal enough that she could forget the last twenty four hours. "Like everything else." She couldn't resist adding the remark. It was so like their usual banter and made her feel better just to have something that she recognized and cherished.

"Indeed Hermione." He smirked at her, genuinely happy to hear the levity in her voice and finding comfort in their usual taunts. "But how on earth will you survive when you can't bury the flavors of your tea under copious amounts of sugars and enough cream to make a stick of butter."

"I don't know, I suppose Severus, I shall have to learn to adapt. New life, new tea," she told him, sitting a little straighter in her seat, hoping he couldn't see through all her false bravado. As she took her first sip, she really wished she had sugar. "I was thinking Severus, I haven't eaten yet and I know this great Chinese place that delivers, if you wanted to join me for dinner?" She really hoped he would stay. She knew he had offered whatever she needed but he did have a business to run and he had already been with her for hours and had checked through her whole house. It was more than likely that he didn't even like Chinese. "I would really love it if you would stay. I was actually hoping you could be bribed into setting up wards for me?" she added, with a bit of light sweetness in her voice that bordered on flirtatious.

"And just how, may I ask, did you intend on ordering said Chinese food? You haven't a phone, or muggle monies of which I am aware. Unless I put pockets in that dress I didn't otherwise know about." He looked her over; raking his vision across her body, enjoying the way the dress fit her curves. "I must say, I hadn't realized my transfigurations were so good."

Hermione was warming up significantly under his gaze, even with the cool spring breeze coming in through the open window. "Yes, um, well. As for the phone, I thought I would just ask the neighbors. Tell them I am moving back after studying abroad for a few years. It is close enough to the truth to be believable. As for the money, I think I still have my piggy bank upstairs; it should be quite full of money actually. I had been saving every shilling from the 'tooth fairy' and all my allowances growing up. It should be more than enough until I can get to the bank and see about the accounts," she told him.

"Well then. It sounds like a reasonable request. And I wouldn't say no to Szechuan Beef. It has been some time since I have had good Chinese. If you are certain you would like me to stay, that is," he told her, and really Chinese did sound good. He hadn't eaten Chinese food in years and imagined Hermione was looking forward to a little heat after the bland food at St. Mungo's.

"Yes, please stay Severus. I may even be able to find a suitable wine in the cellar. I really don't feel like eating all alone and I am bound to order enough for six. I never can make up my mind with Chinese." She smiled wide at him, liking the thought of having him stay for dinner and wine.

"If you insist," he teased.

Twenty minutes later, Severus found Hermione sitting at the table with a porcelain pig and a meat mallet. "I couldn't think of anything else to use. Stand back," she warned as she brought the mallet down smashing the pig. She quickly gathered the money and set to counting out enough for dinner and a tip.

While she was counting Severus must have cast 'reparo' because when she looked up from her little pile of money, which was actually more than she had expected and should at least get her through a few days worth of takeout, she noticed her little beloved piggy bank she'd had since she was a child was sitting perfectly whole on the table. "I thought perhaps you would want to keep it. Besides, you rather seemed to enjoy smashing it. Now you can do it again when the mood strikes," he said.

Hermione was blown away with how sweet he was being. It wasn't all flowers and love poems but for Severus Snape it was sweet. Not that she would tell him as much.

"So, you were able to set the wards?" she asked, knowing full well he would have set several complex security wards throughout the property.

"Obviously," he intoned, "And you were able to borrow a phone I take it? And just how did you explain your sudden appearance? And you're, well, appearance?" he asked her, trying to be somewhat delicate about the fact that she was bald and bruised.

"Oh yes. Mrs. Corners was thrilled to see me again. She didn't know what had happened to me and the talk was that I had joined the nunnery. She was happy to see that that wasn't the case, apparently she has this nephew…She finally let me go with a promise to take tea with her next Sunday and explain to her all about where I had been. She almost hijacked me but I told her that I had a gentleman friend waiting ever so patiently for me to return. She seemed slightly put out at the thought that someone had swooped me up before her nephew had a chance. I didn't bother to tell her that I am technically married to a right bastard who is on the run from the law with his whore." She let out a deep breath when she finished her little rant.

"Indeed Hermione. You know, she is nothing compared to you. I don't know what he was thinking going to her when he had a witch like you in his bed." He wanted to take it back as soon as the words were out of his mouth. It was too much and certainly too soon for any such declarations as to her beauty.

"Thank you Severus, that is so kind. Though I suppose it has something to do with the fact that he didn't have such a witch in his bed" She would have said more but Severus stopped her

"Hermione, please. Do not let him get to you like that. Even I must admit that you have blossomed into a stunning witch. Surely you know this," he told her and the amount of sincerity in his voice stunned her.

Hermione stepped around the table to where Severus was standing, looking at the pig on the table avoiding her gaze. She places a tentative hand on his chest. "Severus, thank you. That was sweet and unexpected. But, you misunderstand me." He looked up and she could see the confusion swimming in his dark eyes. "Severus, I mean that he didn't have any witch in his bed. We had separate rooms. Have had, since we got married. I…um…that is to say that we…well you see…it's like this…God, this is really embarrassing. The first time I slept with Ron we had already been married for four months. One time after that a few weeks later and by some miracle, or so I thought, I conceived. That was it until I had the potion you made me and all of those times I was so drunk I hardly remember it. I just. I can't. I tried Severus. I thought for sure, on our honeymoon. Everything was so perfect, but the second I was naked I panicked. I ended up giving him a black eye when he tried to touch me. I tried so hard not to be weak, I really did. I tried to be a good wife…I just…I was so scared…Every time he touched me, he was always so rough and he didn't caress he manhandled and I just couldn't keep that monsters face out of my head. I just couldn't. He won't go away." Hermione collapsed into his chest wracked with sobs and he once again just enveloped her into his warmth, doing his best to offer her comfort while his mind was thinking up ways to kill a werewolf that was long since dead.

"Hermione. I am so sorry. He was such an ass. The measure of a wife, of a woman, is not made in the bedroom. He should have been there for you, helped you with this. Though, I cannot imagine Weasley being capable of much, other than calling Molly, and dear Merlin I would not wish that on you." She sniffled and gave him a weak chuckle. She really wouldn't want Molly comforting her about her sex issues.

"Thank you Severus. I would be lost without you now I think." She nestled herself a little deeper into his grasp, taking comfort in the sweet earthy scent of bergamot and potions ingredients and that smell that was so uniquely Severus and utterly intoxicating; it simultaneously cleared and befuddled her mind.

Severus was about to say something when there was a knock at the door signaling the arrival of their dinner. "Shall we?" he asked, looking down into her upturned face and wiping a tear from under her eye.

Hermione followed Severus, who lit candles with his wand as they went. She let him answer the door, thinking it rather chivalrous of him to offer and after he paid she suggested they sit and eat in front of the fire.

"On the couch?" he asked, the derision obvious in his tone.

"No, you can sit on the couch. I am going to sit on the floor. We can spread the food out over the coffee table and watch the flames dance in the hearth. We can relax with some wine. Please Severus, I know it isn't exactly your style, but I would really appreciate the chance to just relax." She turned and looked at him, and gave him her best puppy dog impression and batted her lashes at him as she gave him a sad little pout. "Please Severus?"

"Oh fine woman. Just, no more pouting. I really do not know how much more I can handle." He gave her a scowl but she could see that he wasn't really upset and had to work not to smile at her.

The two sat in the family room in front of the fire, enjoying good food and wine and talking about the various books he had noticed throughout the home. Discussing ones both had read and her expounding on the virtues of ones he hadn't. It was the best meal she'd had in some time. She had somehow managed to situate herself on the floor in between his legs and as they finished their meal she found herself leaning into his touch as he started to slowly rub the tension from her shoulders.

"Oh God, Severus. That is sinful. It feels so good. Apparently those fingers are good for more than just holding stirring rods and slicing ingredients," she half said, half moaned.

"Indeed Hermione, that they are," he smirked at the back of her head, enjoying the effect he was having on her. "Hermione?" he asked her.

""Mmmm?" she responded wordlessly.

"I was wondering, have you thought of a triggered obliviate? I know it can be tricky but I could…That is to say, a skilled legilimens would be able to pinpoint the event you want gone and remove it in such a way that the hole wouldn't be damning. You would still know it had happened, but hopefully the fear and the pain that comes with the actual memory would be gone, you wouldn't have to relive it anymore. You should have never had to go through that to begin with but to be forced to relive it all the time. For you to think yourself a failure because of what that monster did to you…" He stopped rubbing her shoulders and moved his hands lightly down until they joined above her collarbone and placed a lingering kiss on her head. "I would, if you asked it of me Hermione. I would," he told her, knowing in that moment he would do whatever this witch asked of him.

"Severus, I…I don't know if I can. Let me think about it?" she asked, leaning her head back to look at him. She smiled up at him as he descended down to give her an upside down kiss that was only slightly awkward and left the taste of peppers and wine and Severus on her lips and she wanted more. She moaned a little as he lifted his face away from hers and gave her a real smile; one that reached his eyes and lit them in a way she had never before seen. "Severus, did you know your eyes weren't black?" she asked him.

"They are my eyes Hermione, I am aware of their coloring yes," he told her, not quite wanting to talk about his eyes when he could be kissing her again.

"They are beautiful. I never noticed before, but in this light, this close. Beautiful. I have never known anyone with purple eyes before. They are like midnight, the darkest violet I have ever seen, and just gorgeous, I think if I looked long enough I could fall into space and see the stars," she told him truthfully, as she turned herself around so that she was facing him to get a better look.

Severus wasn't quite sure what to say. No one had ever called any part of him beautiful and she had, twice, and so honestly he couldn't not believe her, even if she had drank half a bottle of wine. "Thank you Hermione, it is a Prince family trait. Though thankfully mine are a bit darker than my mothers were. Hers were bordering on lilac and I do not have the complexion for lilac," he joked, "But I am pleased that you find them so much to your liking. I must confess Hermione; I have found myself contemplating the color of your eyes much more than is strictly appropriate."

"Really?" she asked him breathlessly as she leaned in closer to him.

"Yes," he told her, closing the distance between their lips; capturing hers in a soft, tender kiss that that managed to have more of an effect on him than any long deep snog he had ever shared with another woman.

He wanted to apologize for taking liberties with her but he knew she wouldn't appreciate it. So instead he just sat back in the couch and motioned for her to join him.

Hermione beamed at him and it was the most brilliantly beautiful smile he had ever seen as she stood and sat beside him on the couch.

Hermione snuggled into Severus' side as he wrapped a protective and slightly possessive arm around her shoulder. "Severus? Do you think you could stay tonight? There's a guest room directly across from mine and I would feel so much safer knowing you were close, please? I am sure I can even find a pair of sleep pants in my dads things. He was rather tall so they should fit," she pleaded with him, though realistically she was more than ready to drift off in his arms on the couch.

"Of course Hermione. I don't need to be back until morning when I open and there's nothing to brew that cant wait. I told you, whatever you need," he said as he pulled her a little closer on the sofa.

The two stayed up talking for another hour or so, discussing more books and potions theories that had been bouncing around in Severus' head. It was pleasant, and warm, and perfect.

When Severus walked a yawning Hermione up to her room that night and she stepped up on her tippy toes to give him the sweetest lingering kiss he'd ever had, it took all of his strength to bid her goodnight and watch her close the door.

Both went to sleep that night feeling as if the entire earth had shifted beneath their feet.

A/N: 'igneus fervens aguamenti' – is roughly translated to scalding hot water.

Someone mentioned hope for Hermione to have kids in the future, I am still on the fence. What do you think? Should there be babies in Hermione's future with Severus? (she ends up with him, just in case you had not caught that yet…)

Let me know what you think, babies, no babies?

Any other ideas or complaints are always welcome.

Once again, thanks for reading, and reviewing!