There was a metallic taste in his mouth and the feeling of blood dripping from his ear on one side, confirmed his suspicions that he'd ruptured at least one of his eardrums. When he could finally open his eyes , the most shocking thing was two little blue eyes looking up at him and the words that followed.

"Why's your hair white dad?"

6 months later

"Stop fussing, you look fine"

"I look like Sweeney bloody Todd!" He tutted in disgust as Hermione stifled a giggle. "As if people weren't afraid of me enough, at least yours looks sexy and intentional like Lily Munster, I look like I'm about to start singing and slashing around with a cutthroat razor "

Hermione chuckled at his, by now familiar, grumbling as she turned him round to fix his cravat that he'd been fussing at in the mirror. The streaks of white in their hair caused by the wild magic Severus had harnessed to revive Baby that day, had proven to be here to stay. Much to Severus's disgust, the white would not be covered up by spell, potion or even muggle store bought dye, though he did manage to ruin one of his good shirts that way. Hermione hadn't escaped the spell's fallout either, and she too sported crystal white streaks in her hair, though hers looked decidedly better in his opinion, she looked like some gothic pinup or roguelike superhero , whereas he simply looked even creepier than usual. Hermione hadn't bothered to correct him, because in all honesty he did look like Sweeney Todd with the broad and bright white streak from his temple in his otherwise ebony locks, but she also hadn't told him just quite how much she fancied the look on him. She wondered if she asked if he would sing to her in that wonderful baritone...

Suddenly he caught her hands in his, bringing them to his lips to kiss. "Your thoughts are so loud I do not need legilimency to hear them witch"

She smirked at him unashamedly and wrapped her arms around his waist in a hug, he sighed deeply in contentment and rested his chin on her head, marvelling at the feeling of her in his arms.

"We're going to be late to the Ministry" He grumbled into her hair, and she squeezed him tighter. "Just one more minute" He sighed deeply and pulled her even closer , holding her so tight she almost couldn't breathe but she squeezed him back just as hard.

"So tonight?..." She asked him and delighted in the blush that lit his face up as it always did when she broached the subject.

"We're going to be late" He stammered out and began striding out the door and she laughed that she was able to ruffle him so.

"And this is everything ? It's all official once I add my signature?"

"That's correct Miss Granger" The Ministry official smiled warmly , he was a pleasant and grandfatherly type, and Hermione was glad that the Slytherin alumni had pulled some strings to ensure he was the one that was assigned to their cases, and that their cases were dealt with expediently instead of the usual waiting times which could end up into the years at this point.

"That's cheating" She'd said to Severus, when after their initial appointment in 36 months, had been changed to 6 months after a few floo-calls from the Slytherins.

"That's politics" Severus had corrected, and she'd grumbled but accepted the help, it was important after all.

With a flourish they signed the parchment and watched as the ink glowed before melting into the parchment, and the seal locked the parchment , which promptly disappeared into the archives.

They sat together drinking coffee as she regarded her new ministry issued ID.

"So how do you feel, any regrets about…anything"

In one fell swoop, thanks to help from the unspeakables in the department of mysteries and the mages in the time room, her new biological age was recognised by the Ministry of Magic, Hermione Granger was no longer 19, but was now 29, thanks to the Quickening that the Chimaera's influence had put her through, and now her Ministry I.D recognised that fact.

She saw the nervousness in his tone, no matter how much he tried to hide it, she also heard that unsaid 'anything' in his statement.

"Nothing at all"

He scoffed at that, and she could see the self-loathing that was a deep seated issue she tried to help him with as often as she could.

"You've lost 10 years of your life Hermione, you tied yourself to…"

"I haven't lost anything." She was very quick to cut him off before he could travel that well traversed path. "I was surprised at the age they recognised, but not disappointed. I thought I'd skipped my 20s altogether, but I still get to experience being 29 for a whole year, so that's a whole year to cram in all the experimenting that most people do in their 20s, and I've got you to do it with"

He raised his coffee cup to his face to hide the flush on his cheeks from her words and she marvelled at how this man, this wonderful quiet, shy and caring man could have hidden so well behind his mask that no one saw , or cared to see, the real him behind it. She delighted in making him blush, in making his eyes heat, or warm, in the way his gentle touches to her hand, or arm, or face when he thought no one was looking, spoke more volumes than anything that anyone else had said to her.

"And I gained You, and I gained Baby. Jacob is OUR baby Severus, don't ask my how or why because I can't tell you but I just know that he is and I hope you feel the same way, I think you do"

"You know I do" he was earnest, as he held her hand on the table, she could tell the public display made him slightly uncomfortable, but they were in a muggle coffee shop and the chances that anyone would recognise them were slim, so he was more comfortable being himself with her here than if they had been at Diagon Alley with a million faces gawking at them.

"I always felt out of place. My Grandmother , she always said I had an old soul. I always felt like I never fit in because I just couldn't mesh with people my age. I always wanted to, but I always felt like I was…out of place, out of sync. Like nothing ever quite lined up in the right way, that I just wasn't on the same wavelength as everyone else and that's why I had such a hard time making friends. Even with Ron and Harry, we were never equals. It's like they wer e a pair and I was some older sister trying to stop them from breaking rules or getting killed. Likewise I always wanted to have a family, saw myself as a mother, but i also wanted a career and I never played with dolls or held any grand desires over babies and being pregnant and having baby showers , and changing dirty nappies and to be honest I'm actually rather glad I got to skip all that part, especially as it means I get to focus on my career and things I want to do with my life, and still come home to a family at the end of it"

"Yes I can say I'm rather relieved to skip the whole nappies, vomit and 3am feedings part myself"

"So yes, I might have lost a few years on paper, but I gained so much more. And I have never been one to do things by halves, I trust my gut and when something feels right to me I jump in feet first and figure out the fine details later, because when something feels right, I just know it is. I just know it."

She cupped his cheek with her hand, and he covered it with his own. "This, you, baby, it feels right to me , doesn't it to you Severus?"

He leaned close to her, pressed his forehead to hers and spoke only for her. "Nothing has ever felt more right to me in my entire life, and I will follow you to the ends of the earth and back again witch"

She kissed him, soft and gentle, and spoke to his lips. "But that's just it Severus, I don't want you to follow me, I want you right by my side"

"Do you know what today is ?"

He arched his brow at her "Tuesday?"

She swatted his arm. "It's a leap year, today is February 29th, I think it was fate that today was the day we got our date at the Ministry"

Biting her lip, she met his eyes which had suddenly snapped to hers.

"Severus Snape, will you marry me?"

To be continued in epilogue.