I will do nothing to break that , I will protect them here for the rest of their lives if they let me and I shall never break that trust.
Resolve set, he made a tea for Hermione and himself and a warm milk for Rose, with a tiny bit of whipped cream , putting it in the child's sippy cup he'd found and scourgified from the one time he'd had Draco in his home as a child.
Vanishing any mess on his face from crying, he steeled himself and made his way upstairs when he heard them pad from the bathroom to the bedroom.
oOo
Knocking on the door to make sure it was safe to enter, he loomed like an imposing figure in the doorway... unsure of his welcome.
Hermione had donned his dressing gown from the bathroom , and she was tucking Rose into the bed, he cringed a little at the worn bedding even though he knew it was clean, and resolved to purchase better for Rose.
Taking in the slight figure he noted that even shrunk down the shirt still buried the tiny girl.
"I've brought tea. And hot milk for Miss Rose if she wants it."
Hermione shot him a grateful look.
"Thank you Severus" She said as she took the steaming mug from him.
"Don't be offended if she doesn't drink it"
She whispered carefully in his ear, when she took the sippy cup from him, and he simply nodded fully prepared for that eventuality.
"Here baby, Severus made you some warm milk, are you thirsty?"
She held out the cup to Rose who was sat up in the bed, one thumb in her mouth and the other still holding the handkerchief he'd given her.
Rose took the cup from her mother, then glanced between the both of them.
She watched Severus drinking his tea, and her mother drinking hers.
Frowning down at the cup in her hand she stuffed the handkerchief in her shirt, then used her free hand to try and unscrew the lid of the sippy cup.
"Don't spill it honey" Hermione warned gently.
"Don't worry" Severus murmured and flicked his wand, casting an impervious charm on the quilt, and was rewarded with Hermione's relieved look.
Once the lid was off, Rose examined the contents of the cup, before comparing it to her mothers.
"You know you can't have tea baby" Hermione said softly when Rose had frowned at the difference in the cups.
Once more she looked to Severus and back again , before handing the sippy cup and lid back to Hermione who sighed in resignation and gave Severus an apologetic look.
But when she screwed the lid back on the cup to prevent it from spilling, she was taken entirely by surprise when Rose, thumb once more in her mouth, reached out for the cup once more.
Hermione relinquished it and was promptly speechless when Rose brought it to her mouth and began to drink the sweet concoction with heavily lidded eyes.
Hermione eyed the now well used handkerchief in her hand, and went to retrieve it with a grimace. "Let me take that Rose" she said softly and the girl pulled it tighter to her chest.
"Rose baby, you can't walk around with dirty handkerchief"
They could both see the meltdown that was on the horizon, as a tearful Rose refused to hand back the handkerchief she'd been clutching.
"Perhaps, I may provide a solution..." Severus added before flicking his wrist.
There was another thump from the cupboard doors opening in his bedroom and he winced as something fell over and hit the floor with a rather loud Smash.
A bundle of white fluff hit his hand and left a small cloud of dust when it impacted.
"Apologies" He winced as he vanished the dust cloud and used a gentle cleansing spell on the item in his hand.
"Perhaps a trade? This fellow has been sat alone in my cupboard since I was a young boy, and may appreciate the company for the night more than my handkerchief"
Hermione uneasily eyed the metal button in the ear of the old jointed mohair teddy bear in Severus's hand.
"Severus...Isn't he a vintage Steiff? he looks a little expensive for a young child"
Severus arched his eyebrow at the woman beside him.
"I am not that hard-up that I may need to sell my belongings in the future, besides he's a teddy bear, it was the purpose of his creation to bring comfort to children and not to gather dust in a cupboard nor be held onto for profit"
A wide eyed Rose looked from her mother to Severus who held out the bear, and she quickly passed the handkerchief and now empty sippy cup back to her mother and reached out carefully for the old white bear.
She held him to her chest tightly and Severus could see her inhaling his scent as well as running her fingers through his soft hair, assessing the new sensation of the mohair.
The girl offered him a small smile then, half hidden by the bear in her arms and two signs quickly. A movement across her face, then two fingers to her temple and quickly away again.
He turned to Hermione again for a translation, but she was once more dumbstruck by Rose's willingness to communicate with him.
"Hermione?"
"Oh sorry, um "
She copied the first gesture quickly "This means beautiful" And then the second "And this means name"
Rose's meaning was clear. He's beautiful, what's his name?
Suddenly he cleared his throat as his face suffused with colour.
"I'm sure he'd be content with whatever name that Miss Rose would like to call him"
There was a quick shake of the head from the girl on the bed, and she repeated the name sign.
Hermione looked at him with a quirked eyebrow, as he fought the blush he knew had come to his face.
"When I was a boy, he was called Herman"
Hermione snorted but quickly looked away and hid her face in her hand when he scowled at her.
But the soft giggle from the girl on the bed was worth his embarrassment.
Another sign from her then, and this one he remembered from earlier.
"You're very welcome Miss Rose, I am sure he's very grateful to spend a night in the company of such a lovely young lady, instead of sitting in a dusty cupboard"
She nodded then with conviction and he smiled at her.
"Then I shall leave you to your repose, and prepare my bed for the night"
The last of his sentence was aimed at Hermione who gave him a grateful look and squeezed his hand as he left.
oOo
He growled in frustration at the table he'd just transfigured from a coat-hanger. Hissing through his teeth he attempted to transfigure it once more into the camping style bed he'd been aiming for, only for it to turn out like a pool lilo, what's more it was in a wonderful shade of hot pink.
Well at least it was more bed shaped, even if he had no intention of keeping it that way.
Suddenly he heard a chuckle behind him.
"I didn't know you had a thing for pinks"
"You haven't seen my underwear drawer" He responded dryly and she laughed once more, then he looked at her abashed. "My transfiguration skills are not the best to begin with, without the added weariness of the past 6 hours"
If it was anyone else he would be mortified to admit his shortcomings, but for some reason with her it was only mildly uncomfortable.
"Forget it Severus, just share the bed with me it's big enough"
She waved away her hand as if it was inconsequential , turning the coat hanger back to rights as she hung his robe on the back of the door.
He tried his best not to stare at her bare legs and feet as she walked across his room.
Gods she has such nice skin.
She was wearing his iron maiden t shirt , and nothing else other than underwear.
Even that was an assumption though as the shirt came down to her mid thigh.
He was suddenly very aware of the fact as she turned back the covers, that he had an exceptionally beautiful woman climbing into his bed, wearing his shirt and nothing else and inviting him to lay with her.
"Severus... are you coming?"
Hermione, You have no fucking idea.