"Rose is lost to you. She is not yours anymore, in fact she never was. She is and always has been Hermione's. And as of today, she is also mine. Until she is old enough to make her own decisions, you will stay away from her"
At that he turned and left the room, with his hand on the door handle he stopped and looked at her over his shoulder.
"Some of those children can't even read" And he heard her sharp intake of breath. "Those children. They need a mother"
With that, he left her alone in the empty courtroom.
They apparated home together, Hermione was of course capable of apparating herself but Severus wanted to do it. No, he needed to do it. The second he had left Molly and the courts behind, he had taken Rose back into his arms and with the young girl balanced on his hip, he tucked Hermione under his other arm, and they made their way out of the private courts and towards the atrium and a vacant apparition point.
The Weasleys were consumed with their own drama after Arthur's declaration, but Severus made sure to acknowledge and return the nods he received from both Lucius and Draco. A part of him felt almost guilty for walking out without at the very least saying goodbye to them, but as he considered the precious burden in his arms, he knew they would both understand and hold no malcontent towards him.
A light flashed as he walked through the atrium, and he snarled in the direction of where it came from but the opportunistic photographer, no doubt well aware of Severus's well-earned reputation, had already disappeared into the throng of people. Hissing angrily through his teeth, he continued steering both of them towards the apparition point. There was a que, but that didn't stop him. The young ministry workers, not many years out of school themselves, were so conditioned to avoiding him in the halls at Hogwarts, that they parted like the red sea to allow the scowling man access, and he turned them into the apparition point and was gone without a moments hesitation.
oOo
Severus had spent years perfecting his apparition until it was quiet, stealthy and almost undetectable. When they arrived in the living room at Spinner's End it was with a large boom reminiscent of a thunderclap and the books shook in their places on their shelves. Something fell and smashed somewhere, but frankly he didn't care. He didn't realise how long he just stood there, in the exact same spot that he arrived in, breathing heavily through his nose and heart racing in his chest fast enough for him to feel it. But it was long enough for Hermione to press a hand to his face in slight concern to get his attention. He turned to her, but didn't move or speak, breath still coming in deep inhales. She just offered him a shaky smile. "I'll put the kettle on, ok?" He managed to nod his ascent, and she gingerly made her way out of his arms. He'd been holding onto her tightly, his fingers white from the strength of his grip. He could see from the last parting look she gave him that she was worried about him, though he noted with a warm feeling in his chest that despite that, she trusted him with Rose. 100%. For she had no trouble leaving him in the room, with the small girl still in his arms. Which was good, because he had no intention of letting go any time soon.
Hermione returned levitating their drinks, and she managed to usher him over to his seat. She fussed over him until she managed to get his shoes and coat off, and he settled in his seat, retaining his grip on Rose, and likewise her own vice grip around his waist and on his hair never faltered. Once Severus was comfortable, he raised his other arm expectantly, and without a word needed, Hermione tucked herself into his other side. It would have of course made more sense for the three of them to sit together on the sofa, but Severus's chair had become their go-to snuggle spot, when the three of them needed to be close.
Now was one of those times.
Hermione rested her head on Severus's chest and he buried his face in her hair, closing his eyes and inhaling her scent. Their cups forgotten on the table beside them. Rose's breath was still hitching on occasion, the stress of the past few hours weighing heavy on the toddler, not allowing her to fully relax. She shuffled in Severus's arms and a strand of hair fell into her face, with a gentle hand Severus tucked it back behind her ear, and cupped her cheek reverently, She moved a bit to be closer to his hand and Severus noticed for the first time the cold dampness where he held her against him and It was the final thing that tipped her over the edge. Her lip trembled and the quiet bubble of calm before the storm burst and she buried her face into Severus's neck and began sobbing. "It's alright Rose" He whispered as the young girl cried in his arms and Hermione asked him what was wrong. "She's wet, she must have had an accident earlier" He murmured softly to Hermione and she gave him a sad smile in understanding. It was no wonder she'd wet herself, she'd been terrified when Molly had pulled her from her mothers arms. The girl now in his arms began hiccoughing. "It's not your fault sweet girl, its alright" He whispered into her hair and she held tightly onto him.
"Come on sweetheart, come have a shower with Mummy" Hermione said gently. Severus reverently and reluctantly handed the girl over to her mother as they both stood at the same time and Severus replied softly, "I shall likewise avail myself of the downstairs bathroom" he gestured to the previously unnoticed damp patch on his own clothes, where the girl had been pressed against his hip. Hermione mouthed sorry with a wince but he waived it off as inconsequential. Leaning forward he placed a kiss on Rose's forehead and followed with one on Hermione's, that lingered much longer. "I shall meet you back in here" he said to Hermione who nodded her ascent. He was about to leave when Rose grabbed his shirt, and the stoic man allowed himself to be pulled forward as the still sniffling girl, repeated his actions back to him and kissed him on his cheek. Smiling he brought her hands from their grip on his chest, to his lips and kissed the backs of them, before wiping away her tears with his thumbs. "What say we get out of these and into our comfies hmm?" He asked her and she smiled back to him.
In the shower Severus allowed his tears to flow, he sobbed like a broken man with his head pressed against the tile. He sobbed until he couldn't anymore and his tears turned to manic and victorious laughter, even as tears still flooded from his eyes. He had won, they were his. Truly his.
When he had finally got himself under control and clean, he padded softly into the living room, only to find it empty. Though he could still hear the shower running upstairs, so sat down unconcerned. He must have closed his eyes for a minute, because he opened them when he felt the weight of Hermione settling on his lap, with Rose in her arms. With a flick of his hand Severus summoned a blanket from the cupboard, which Hermione tucked around them. There was something to be said for Mothers, Severus thought, as there was no one that could quite tuck you in like a mother could. When the blanket was surrounding them to Hermione's exacting preference he flicked his hand once more and the lights dimmed in the room, until they were only emitting a muted glow. And unble to do anything else, the three of them gave in to the exhaustion of the day, and slept.
Hours later they awoke in that traditional groggy way one does from a unplanned nap. Blearily, reluctantly, not knowing who they were or what time it was. It turned out to be 6pm, so Hermione suggested they have a light dinner and go to bed for real, which Severus wholeheartedly agreed with.
They had some simple sandwiches, and then Rose insisted on Severus carrying her upstairs which he did without hesitation when small arms reached up towards him in that universal toddler language.
Both Hermione and Severus were worried about a meltdown when getting Rose to bed, but she settled into her 'magic' bed without a fuss, especially once Herman was in her arms, promptly shoving her thumb into her mouth as her eyes were already at half mast. Hermione sat on the end of her bed and sang a lullaby, as Severus stood guard in the doorway. A veritable living shield for anything that may wish to disturb this little piece of heaven he now held here in his grasp.
When Rose was finally asleep, Hermione walked across to their bedroom, and Severus followed. Her eyes met his and her hand stroked across his chest as she passed him in the hall and he met her gaze with a heated look.
She walked through the bedroom door and a moment later he followed her, the door shutting behind him with a resounding click, concealed by a hastily placed silencing charm as Severus reached for her the second the door closed.