"There's one thing left though..." She turned her head up to meet his onyx gaze and smiled gently at him. "We can't keep calling him little man, Severus you need to name your son"

He was quiet for some time and she feared she'd offended him before he spoke gently , looking at the bundle in his arms.

"In all honesty, I don't even know where to begin"

Smiling in what she hoped was a reassuring manner, she rested a hand on his arm as she answered him just as gently.

"I don't mean to rush you, by all means take a few days and decide what's right for you both. But you need to start considering your options. Unfortunately you're behind in this game, most people have months to plan their names and even then sometimes the right one doesn't come to them until after the birth, you've been thrown in at the deep end in more ways than one."

All he could do was nod at that and then wince in sympathy at the hiss of pain that came from her when she released rose, or more specifically when Rose released her. "Merlin that hurts."

"Are you alright?" He questioned , trying to simultaneously look at her in concern and look away to preserve her modesty, as she much more tentatively tucked herself away after feeding Rose than she had done after nursing his son.

"As can be expected" She answered with a wince. "This whole Motherhood thing isn't all it's cracked up to be, especially when you're nursing a colicky baby who's allergic to potions."

"You're...sore?" He asked cautiously, unsure if it was a line of questioning that would be welcome from him.

A snort was her answer, which she added onto wryly. "If by sore you mean feel like my nipples may fall off at any given moment, then yeah I'm pretty sore"

Shuffling uncomfortably for a moment she spoke again quietly. "Joking aside...everything hurts Severus. Rose won't take to the bottle and the odd occasion she does it usually sets off a bout of colic so she has to be exclusively nursed, which I had planned on doing anyway, though it's hard with her. There's the inevitable pain and soreness that goes with nursing, which is made worse having a colicky and fussy baby, but as I'm nursing a baby who also seems to have quite a few intolerances it means that I cant take anything that she's allergic to either, without making her ill."

Sighing deeply she pressed a kiss the the brow of the unsettled babe in her arms. "She's my daughter. She's not her father, and I love her more than words could ever describe. But do I wish I could take potions sometimes? Absolutely. I even had to stop taking my postpartum potions because they were making her sick and so my own recovery from the birth has been slow and painful at the best of times and is still ongoing, I would not give her up for the world but...it is hard. Between the war, the manor and her birth... It has all taken it's toll and at times I feel a lot older than I am"

Making sure that he didn't jostle the precious bundle in his own arms, he tentatively wrapped his arm around her shoulder, relaxing when she accepted the offered comfort and settled against him instead of pulling away.

"You never said anything in your letters, and I had thought it uncouth to ask how your were fairing after the birth, I had worried I would seem misogynistic in doing so. That and I didn't know if it was unseemly to ask that of another man's wife. I am afraid my social niceties are not that practiced when it comes to these situations. Have you spoke to any potioneers about having something specially made for you or Rose? It is not impossible, it will just take time and effort. You should not have to suffer in silence so."

Shaking her head she sighed out deeply which ended in a wince and an oomf noise as Rose kicked her quite firmly in the ribs and effectively winded her, as she went into a unsettled sleep in her mother's arms.

"I barely leave the house Severus. Rose is so fussy, you've only been here for a day and she's getting over a bad bout of colic so she's more tired than usual. But she screams and cries almost constantly at times, she's sick often and won't settle. Caring for her is almost a full time job on its own, factor in owning a blind dog, doing my own independent charms research and fighting tooth and nail for these abhorrent laws to be abolished, when would I find the time to go hunting for potioneers? I've already owled everyone I could think of and got a bunch of rejections because none of the potioneers were skilled enough to do it and the two masters that I could get hold of weren't interested"

Trying not to be hurt that she hadn't requested his help, despite the fact that with his current financial situation he would not have been able to help her anyway, he was only allowed to wallow in self pity for a moment or two before her gaze upon him softened in understanding and she continued.

"I had thought to ask you Severus of course, you were the first person that came to mind but I decided against it. You always spoke of how terribly busy you were, and as I first started looking not long after your release, I didn't want you to accept because you felt that you had to or because you felt beholden to me, not when you were recovering yourself and had so much on your plate."

Shame filled him then, at the thought she had suffered because of his lies. Pride, his ever present master had made him lie to her. After all she had done for him, he couldn't and wouldn't taint her with the knowledge that after living two decades under the thumb of two masters, he had been unable to take control of his own life when she had worked so hard for his freedom.

"He settles so easily" She whispered to him, almost enviously at the sight of the boy snuggled soundly in his arms. "Yes" he whispered back, stroking the dark hair atop his sons head gently. "He is innocent in this"

At her next words his throat tightened. "Your clothes are dry" She'd said quietly and his stomach sank at the thought , as he closed his eyes in an attempt to control his emotions. "Indeed"

"I think I put them on the wrong setting on the washing machine though, it's so hard to judge what wash cycle wizarding apparel should go on, but I think the wash was a bit too harsh for them, I should've probably put them on a sensitive or delicate thinking back now, it seems to have worn a few holes into your robes so I hand sewed them this morning for you to put you on for now, I'll reimburse you the cost of them of course so you can replace them"

Thanking the gods for the excuse of muggle machinery, which he knew for a fact hadn't worn his robes at all, for they'd been numerous before he even arrived at her home, he responded to her gently.

"I appreciate the thoughtful repair, but think nothing of it, they are an old and well worn set." It was entirely the truth, she didn't know it was his only set though, nor did she know they were already full of holes before he arrived and with her attentions were now likely in better condition than they'd been in months.

"I insist, so you must humor me at least. It may not bother you but it bothers me, You've had enough on your plate recently without me adding to it. They never would've fallen apart if they hadn't had to go in the washing machine because I split powder on you, don't argue with a Gryffindor Severus, you'll not win"

Chuckling he conceded the point to her, as they continued to sit in a somewhat comfortable silence, the only sounds the occasional noise from one of the babies or the ever present scuff scuff on the carpet from Sacha's wagging tail stump.

Swallowing his dread at the thought , he swallowed deeply. "I had better be departing. I have taken advantage of your kindness and hospitality for too long. You will of course let me know what I owe you?"

"Owe me?" she'd asked him , with an expression on her face that looked honestly confused so he was forced to uncomfortably elaborate.

"For your kindness. Your help with my son, your hospitality, the baby knowledge and things you have shared with me."

She had a look on her face then that looked so much like pity he almost had to look away, instead he could do nothing but set his jaw and remain stoic, he could not flee to lick his wounds while he was in her debt. He knew she pitied him because on some level she must know he could not afford to repay her.

"Severus... I don't know how things worked with your... friends and acquaintances in the past... but nothing I have done over the past couple of days constitutes more than I would do for anyone that I care about. You don't have to pay for my friendship Severus, it's already yours."

And in that moment she wished she had a time turner so she could go back and curse the people in his life that had made him think that he was so undeserving of simple kindness that it was something he had to repay.

It took him some time to take in her words, and to look into her eyes and truly believe them. He didn't deserve the earnestness in her gaze, and so he looked away. Discomfited and unable to cope with what she was offering, having no experience of how to handle the social situation he was in with her apparent selflessness.

"The items alone..." He began at length, still not looking at her but she cut him off with a hand on his arm before he could continue.

"Just items. Just things Severus. What are inanimate objects compared to the friendship that you give me? What is the point in you having to go out and stress and shop, when I have it all here in abundance already? Besides my year on the run in the forest has left me with a rather prominent urge to stockpile items, never wanting to be without anything so needed again, I bulk buy...over buy things, I have bought so many of each item that Rose has usually outgrown the need for them before I run out, and I have been doing that since before Rose was born." Quietly she added after a few moments, in a more subdued tone "Not to mention the fact I was buying for two babies the entire time."

"Hermione..." He whispered sadly but she just shook off her tears and his concern with a sad smile. "I have drawers and boxes full of things for a baby boy, and no baby boy Severus, and though Rose may not be bigger than your son, she is older. She has outgrown the need of some things, and here you have a baby boy who was given to you as abruptly as mine was taken from me. I do believe on some level, perhaps these things happen for a reason."

Looking at the boy in his lap, his words were quiet but so much emotion shone through them that Hermione almost wept for the damaged man beside her. "I am at a loss. I have never... I do not know how to respond. I do not know what to say."

And it was with startling clarity and an almost physical pain that she realized that he wasn't speaking in metaphors, this wasn't an oft used turn of phrase. But the fact was in his whole life, Severus Snape had honestly never had someone do something selfless for him, with no ulterior motive, so that he truly did not know what he was supposed to do or say in this situation. He didn't know how to accept kindness. And it broke her heart more than a little, but she realized even now she would have to utilize her inner Slytherin, just to help him understand.

"Please take the things I'm offering. It is not without my own reasons that I offer them to you. Perhaps it will help to give me some closure, to take these things away, to see them used on your beautiful little boy, rather than gathering dust in a drawer. You would be doing me a great favour if you did this Severus."

She could practically see the confidence returning to his posture and once more it took all that was in her not to cry. This he understood. Doing favours...Debt, being beholden to others, this he knew how to handle. Where he could not comprehend taking the items as a selfless gift, he could do it because she asked it of him. Because debt was all he understood. He couldn't accept the items from her without it being a transaction, even if it was a flimsy excuse of one.

But despite this transactional nature of their agreement, that she was supposedly now in his debt, she somehow knew he would never call her upon it.

She loaded him with as many items as he could carry without splinching himself. Of course she'd originally offered to come along and help him setup the baby's room but he'd quickly shut her down, she might have been offended if it hadn't been for the fleeting panicked look in his eye, and the hasty excuse that his home was untidy and unfit for female company. It was obvious that he didn't want her to see his residence, so she didn't push him like the old Hermione would have. Instead she considered it a mark of her maturity and how she'd grown since schooldays when she'd have no doubt been as tenacious as a dog with a bone, pestering him for answers in a way that would've been sure to get the surly man's hackles to rise. But no, instead she allowed him his pride, whilst stockpiling him with as much gear as he could realistically carry, all the while being effusively grateful , and vocal about bow much she appreciated him taking the items way for her.

As Ronald had been so repulsed by the whole idea of lactation , when she offered freshly pumped bottles of breast milk, kept under a stasis charm , despite his seeming appreciation of her nursing his son, she'd expected him to be just as disgusted with the idea as she believed the male race as a whole to be. Instead he offered her nothing but appreciation and again offers of dues. So with it she had wrangled promises and assurances of a home visit in no more than two days, her home of course and not his. She'd extracted promises he would return every two days hence so that she could provide breast milk for his son, and in exchange he would have to endure her presence while she gained her much sought after intellectual company. It wasn't exactly a lie and perhaps that's why he agreed to it with little cajoling.

Still...she could not cease her worry for them, as he prepared to apparate away, even with emphatic promises of their hasty return, though it was his parting words as he turned into his apparation that had her biting back her control once more.

"You are not and never have been something to be endured Hermione Granger...only ever something to be held close and cherished"

And just like that, as though he hadn't just cut her metaphorical strings and taken all the air from her lungs, he was gone.